


Tusk

by PrincessLiamer



Category: South Park
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 55,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9385580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessLiamer/pseuds/PrincessLiamer
Summary: In great appreciation to my favourite album, Fleetwood Mac's Tusk, I'm writing a fic based on the album, in which I attempt to capture the emotion of each song, bringing them forth through the various relationships of each charcter with one another.





	1. Over and Over

Stan and Wendy were in the back of Stan’s truck, parked outside of their high school. Stan had just won his team the football game. After having made his way out of the locker room he was greeted to his fellow classmates and friends applauding and padding him on the back. Gave him a slap as he ran up to the crowd, followed by Token, both of them with broad smiles, and started riling them up, getting everyone there excited for his announcement that this victory wouldn’t have been possible without their star quarterback, Stan Marsh, and letting loose a crowd of ravenous high schoolers on their champion. He was lifted up into the air from which spot he could look down and see exactly where his best friend, Kyle was, all the way back in the bleachers, leaning against the rails, waving as he expected this would be the best way for him to get to see him when he inevitably got on his fans shoulders. Along with him was his second best friend, Kenny, sitting a row above Kyle and giving a peace sign through the railing. The crowd carried Stan along up until he was on the other side, where he was put down, right in front of Wendy, his girlfriend, a few feet in front of him, giving a meek smile, with her hands behind her back. Next to her was Bebe, her best friend, who Clyde quickly ran up to, picking up in his arms and giving a big kiss to for the crowd, which they loved. He put her down and announced the after party at his house. In twenty.  
After the announcement, people had started clearing out for one of Clyde and Token’s parties. Stan drove his car from one lot to the other on the other side of the school where no one was, and parked it where he and Wendy could have some privacy. Stan took the moment to lie back and close his eyes, giving a quiet, “Hey.” Wendy rolled her eyes with a little smile.  
“Hey.” Wendy greeted him back and sat back in her chair, looking over to him. But as she looked over the little smile went away. Stan looked over and saw her just staring at him. She didn’t look sad, moreso she had a look of uncaring. Stan rolled his head to the side and gave her a look of concern. “What’s up?” he asked.  
“Nothin’. How are you feeling, tonight?”  
“Just… Just fine,” She breathed out, looking out the front windshield up at the dark night sky.  
“So, hey, you wanna...” He reached his hand over and rested it on her upper arm, rubbing it with his thumb. Wendy looked down to his hand and put her hand on his, stopping him from rubbing with his thumb with her pinky.  
“Stan?” She looked down at him with a furrowed brow. “Can we just talk right now?”  
Stan grew worried to hear her say that He wondered if there was something wrong. “What do you want to talk about.”  
“Stan, how long have we been going out?” Stan sat up and cocked his head at her, then stared out to the sky along with her, thinking about their lengthy relationship. When had it started, he asked himself.  
He looked back to her, “It’s got to have been at least three years, now?”  
“What does this relationship mean to you?” She followed up.  
Stan was caught off guard. “What do you mean?”  
Wendy looked down at her hands for a while. The pause was palpable, as Stan waited for her to respond. She looked back out the car, turning the back of her head t him. There was then only the sound of her deep breath in, in through the nose, how ever many seconds, and then her heavy exhale, out through the mouth. She turned back to him, “Do I matter to you?” She asked.  
Stan blinked at that, then looked about in surprise, “Of course you matter to me. Why would you ask something like that?”  
“Stan.” She moved her hand over to him, putting it down on top of his. Stan watched as her hand went, and then looked back up at her, staring deep into his eyes. “I need to know. What is this relationship? Is this important? Or am I?”  
Stan shook his head so slightly. It might not even have been a voluntary nod, just a reflexive move due to his sheer disbelief at the question. “What,” He stopped himself and let his air out, lowering his head and shutting his eyes tight , “What does.. That even mean?”  
“I’m asking you what is important to you. I need you to be clear on this. Stan, I care about. Are you in this relationship because you care about me? Or are you in this relationship because you want to be in a relationship?” She raised his hand and moved it towards her, holding it tightly with both hands. He glanced back at her, but then turned back down, giving a light chuckle. “Stanley, you could call me at anytime, no matter what you need, and I’ll be there for you. Because I care. But I need to know. Is this a relationship about two people, or is this just a relationship.”  
Stan kept looking down for a while. Then, he noticed how silence had moved in for so long. And her turned his head back up to Wendy. And he glanced down and about, his mouth agape, and then stopped. He turned back to her. “Wendy… I care about you. You have to know that… I wouldn’t be in a relationship with you if I didn’t.”  
“No, Stanley, that is not an answer. You can’t tell me you love me because you’re dating me.”  
Stan blinked again at that. “Well, how am I supposed to prove it to you, then, huh?” He said with anger.  
Wendy moved her head further away from him. “Stan, a relationship needs to have foundations. A relationship is not founded because you need a relationship. It’s becoming a serious concern of mine that you’re only dating me because you think that’s what people want from you. I want you to date me because you want to be with me. If not, then you might as well be with anyone. So I want to know. What is this relationship?”  
“I… Wendy.” Stan took Wendy by the shoulders with both hands, closing his eyes tight. He then looked Wendy deep in the eyes and told her, “I… I do love you. I’ve been in love with you for a long time. I’m happy because I’m with you.”  
Wendy looked back into his eyes. There was something impenetrable inside of them. “Do you honestly mean that?” She asked, with such great concern in her voice.  
Stan gazed into her, and then closed his eyes tight, dropping his head down and refusing to look up while he told her, “Yes.”


	2. The Ledge

Stan and Wendy showed up late to Clyde’s party. When they entered, They made sure to put on happy faces, as they were immediately noticed and cheered for Stan’s victory. Clyde and Bebe grabbed them both respectively and dragged them to their individual genders before the two busted into one another. Stan met up with many of his fellow players and friends. He didn’t see his friends Kyle of Kenny any where, he figured they must not have shown up yet. Stan asked Clyde about them, and he said he had no idea.  
Stan slipped away for a minute to call him up. He got an answer, “Kyle? It’s Stan… Yeah, I know. So, you and Kenny gonna make your way over to Clyde’s party? Yeh, yeah it’s real fun. But you know I can’t have a good time without ya, man. C’mon, I just… Look, i could just really use someone to talk to right now… Really? Awesome. See you guys soon.”   
Clyde got everyone together in his living room to make an announcement. “Now, I know this game might not mean everything. I know it might not seem like such a big accomplishment in the long run, winning our second game of the season. And i know… that this is the same exact thing that those kids from Orange County are telling themselves, as they slink back home, with their tails between their legs, as they just lost to their rekindled rivals next door, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS!” The crowd roared to his mockery of Orange County. “But I can promise you, with Stan Marsh at our team’s wheel of Steel, this is gonna be one rocking ride to the finals, I can promise you that! This man will be the one to get us where we haven’t been in years! I already feel it.” He clenched his fists together with such intensity and brought himself lower to the ground, bending his knees and separating his legs to better handle the weight of the intensity he was instilling in the crowd. “Let this winning streak hold up!” He burst up pushing that heavy intensity back up along with him, and everyone grew excited for the party.   
As Clyde let them loose in his home, he was approached by his girlfriend Bebe. “That was a great speech you just gave, there, babe.” she said putting her hands to her hips and leaning her torso left.  
“Really?” He said with confidence, believing in the own hype he’d just brought about. “I think that the wheel of steel line was out of place,”   
Bebe giggled at him, “You Made that up on the spot, be happy you weren’t talking gibberish.” She grabbed him and kissed him in the center of the affair. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer in as lost in the moment. She pulled away and smiled up at him, wrapped around his neck. But she glanced away from him and let go, stepping back. She asked him in a playful tone, “So, how’s Stan?”  
“You mean the man of the hour? Hehe, not sure. I brought him over to the guys, but then he went off to make a phone call. I think he was trying to get his guys here.”  
“Right, right, Kenny and… Kyle.” She said. She parted her lips to chomp her teeth together a few times before Clyde pulled her back to the conversation.  
“Why, was Wendy worried about him?” He said, cocking his head to the side.  
“Huh? Oh, oh no, it’s nothing. Just asking.” She moved over to him and bumped at his side. “Sooo, let’s go have some fun, why don’t we?”  
“Uh, Yeah. Course!” And the two of them took off.  
Wendy was walking around the party, looking for Stan. Wendy waved and said hi to anyone who asked, but she was under too much stress at the moment to stop and have conversations with people that would distract her from finding Stan. They had important matters to discuss, and this party only served to put off that talk. Suddenly, Wendy was stopped as she saw an old and familiar face. It was Heidi Turner. She was sitting alone on the couch, dressed warmly in the early fall. Wendy looked around for anyone nearby her. Wendy hadn’t had the chance to talk with Heidi in quite some time. Not since she started dating Cartman last year. Cartman was domineering, most certainly. And Heidi even knew that going into the relationship, but didn’t stop him when he started cutting her off from her friends. Wendy could only imagine what her Summer must have been like. Wendy tried to hang out with Heidi as much as she could. She was her friend, and she didn’t want her to get sucked into Cartman. But whenever she tried calling her up, a voicemail was the most she could ever leave her. She asked all of Heidi’s other friends, but no one ever heard from her. A lot of people had been giving upon her. People didn’t want to get involved with Cartman, even if it was for as nice a person or as good a friend as Heidi. This was Wendy’s first time to go and talk with her in quite some time.   
Wendy made her way over to Heidi, pushing through the crowded room. She called out, “Heidi,” Waving over to her friend. Heidi looked over, and upon seeing Wendy, The look of uncaring upon her face was wiped away at seeing her. She took a deep inhale and got up, moving over to Wendy, giving her a big hug. “Heidi, oh shit, it’s so good to see you!” Wendy said as she stumbled back attempting to support the weight of both of them, as Heidi pushed herself entirely into her.   
“Wendy, it’s so good to see you, too! Oh my god, I’m so happy to see you here, we have so much to talk about!” Heidi exclaimed with joy in her good friend’s embrace. Heidi let go of her and took her by the hands, guiding her to the couch, where the two of them sat and faced one another, “We have soooo much to catch up on, I bet. Tell about everything that’s been going on?” She asked with great enthusiasm.   
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. God, it’s been so long, so there feels like there’s gotta be so much for me to tell you about.”  
“How is everyone doing?” She asked with great wonder.  
“What do you mean? All the girls? What, like you don’t know?” Wendy said to her jokingly.  
“Heh. Uh, Wendy, I haven’t really been talking to anyone in a long time.” She as though that were obvious. SHe cast down her head, and with disappointment in her voice, told her, “I haven’t seen any of the girls since school ended last year.”  
Wendy was taken aback. “Why not!?”  
“I don’t know. I don’t really have a phone anymore. And i got off all social media month ago.”  
Wendy was purely shocked by her reasoning. “Heidi, we live in the same town, and i have a license. People have only had telephones since, like, 1890, and people seemed to communicate with their neighbors pretty fine. I can swing by, anytime, and we can talk. Like, face to face. It’s not like I need a phone to remain your friend. And it’s not like any of your other friends are just going to disrespect that you don’t want to use social media. Why wouldn’t you ever try to talk to me?” Heidi looked at her like she was crazy to ask such a question, before scoffing and turning away in an attempt to avoid giving her an answer. “Right. Cartman. That bastard.”  
“Don’t say that!” Heidi quickly insisted with worry, turning back to Wendy.  
Wendy looked at her, hurt by the vigor with which she defended the worst person she knew. “Heidi, this is not right. Cartman shouldn’t be the one to decide who you do or don’t spend your time with. No matter who they are, someone doesn’t get to control your life. The only person who gets to make final decisions for you is you. And if you ever want to hang out with me, then you should feel free to come over.” Heidi kept glancing away from her, but couldn’t help a smile from coming across her face as she gave Wendy another loving hug. Wendy gave her a hug back, comforting her.  
“Thank you Wendy. I’ll be sure to hang out with you more often.” Heidi assured her. “But hey, I still need to know what’s going on with everyone. Why not start with yourself.”  
“Haha, hokay, sure. Well, where to start?” Wendy begin to weave the tale of her and all the friends of heidi’s she could bother to’s Summer, and all the important events leading up to the current moment.   
Kyle and Kenny were nearing Clyde’s house. Kenny was driving the shitty truck that had sat on his lawn for the last ten until he fixed it, as Kyle sat to his side, his arms folded staring out the window. Kenny looked over to him, mopey and tired looking. Kenny returned his eyes to the road. “Excited for the party?” He asked in a tone reflecting his own lack of interest in going.  
“Huh?” Kyle looked to Kenny, dazed. “Oh, yeah.” And he returned to staring out the window.  
Kenny glanced back over to him. “Kyle, we don’t have to go.”  
“But Stan wants us to be there.’  
Kenny gave a chuckle as h leaned his elbow against the glass and his head on his hand, “Dude, Stan’ll be fine without us. He’s got plenty of people there for ‘em. What do YOU want to do?”  
Kyle let out a grunt, “I don’t know. I’d rather’ve stayed at your place.”  
“Hehe. That makes one of us. We could just go get something to eat. Your looking kind of hungry right about now.” Kenny gave a little laugh, “Maybe not ten minutes, ago, but right now, I can see those signs of hunger, so easy to pick up on.”  
“Look, I’m not hungry. I’m just… Tired, is all. And cold. Really cold.”  
“Sorry, car doesn’t have heat. Couldn’t afford it.”  
“Your car’s fine.” Kyle looked across the dash, up to Kenny. “I like it. It’s got charm. It’s better than Stan’s fancy big machine. We’ve known this car for years, and now it suddenly has life brought into it because of you.”  
Kenny grinned and almost turned to let Kyle see, but kept his gaze on the road so he couldn’t see his big dumb smile from behind his jackets massive sides. “You don’t need to sell me on the car. I don’t exactly plan on abandoning it for a new one.” A line of cars was now in view, “But again, it’s not too late to just go somewhere, just the two of us, have a nice quiet night.”  
“I thought you loved going to parties like this?” Kyle asked him, turning back to face him.  
“I do. But you don’t. And I wanted you to have a good night.”  
Kyle smiled at him. Kenny smiled back before hiding his face again. “No. This is fine. Thanks for caring, though.” Kyle returned to the window. Kenny found them a spot and the two made their way down the snowy sidewalk to the front door. Kenny grabbed the door knob before Kyle had the chance, and put a finger up to his lips to signal silence, and glanced over to the door Kyle looked to the door, then back at Kenny. “What?”  
“Hear that?” Kenny asked.there was very loud music blasting through the door, it was hard to ignore, so Kyle was missing the point. “There’s a solid chance that when we open this door, there will be someone there who comes bursting out having drunk too much.”  
Kyle looked back to the door, then to Kenny, who was standing there still as a statue with his hand on the handle. “That’s ridiculous. The party started, like, half an hour ago. Who could be that drunk?”  
“Hmm, I recognize that sound.” Kenny mumbled, scratching at his chin. “This song. Gwen Stefani, Hollaback Girl.”  
Kyle rolled his eyes, folding his arms back up. “Yeah, I know the song. Everyone knows the song. What the point?”  
Kenny gave out a low grumble as he tuned into his spiritual sense of parties. “I will bet you… That Butters is in there… Trying to impress Token. He enjoys is cherry flavoured drinks , you see.” Kenny gave a sniff and wiped his finger under his nose. “Now, through personal experience of this to be true, i have realized that the normally Mild Mannered Butters is nothing if not hibited. If the circumstance should present itself for him to release those inhibitions, then he will take that opportunity. But he cannot hold liquor, consequently. Now, I can only imagine that in this solar eclipse victory party at an empty house of EITHER Clyde or Token’s, those two combination hosts would only want to provide the best of times, especially to their significant others. So, Butters was probably met with a pack of cherry beers.”  
“That sounds disgusting.”  
“It kind of is. Anyway, after two beers, Butters is basically out of control. He’ll have released all inhibitions. And so, he’ll be getting sassy as all hell. And trying very hard to get whatever puss or d he can.”  
“Oh my god,” Kyle shook his head.  
“So, to prevent others from stepping to his man, he will perform a ritual to claim Token as his, by poppin that, poppin that, jiggling fat, and refusing to stop till his close are wet. And that’ll get him quite worked up. To the point where he might be feeling sick. And i can GUARANTEE you, that Gwen Stefani, as I understand to be, Butters favourite, will be what puts Butters in the mood to step past his bounds. And even now, as we are reminded that this shit is Bananas…” Kenny waited for the song to catch up to him. “B A N A N A S, du dudu, B A N A N A S, he has now over exerted himself. Poor guy. He’s gonna want to catch his breath, he’ll be telling Token, and take a moment to calmly get out of eyesight. And now he’s freaking out. Where’s the door? Oh god, oh no, this is bad, this is bad, I gotta stop drinking, ah jeeze, gosh dang it, no, not again. Oh, oh there it is.” Kenny opened the door, where Butters was standing, reaching for the handle. The door now ajar, Butters missed and tripped. Kyle lunged down and caught him before he fell down the stairs, full of shock at the sight of him. As Kyle tried to help him up, Butters suddenly vomited onto the doorstep. Kyle looked up to Kenny in shock. “Being an expert in these things is not fun for me. How ya been, lately, Butters?”  
“Kenny?” Butters asked, sickened. Token stepped into the doorway. Kenny turned and gave him a smile.  
“Token!” He shouted with joy.  
“Kenny? Kyle?” Token asked, confused.  
“Oh, jeez, is that Token?” Butters asked, unable to turn around.  
“It is, my friend,” Kenny told him.   
“AH, jeeze.” Kyle and Kenny helped Butters down into sitting, and Tokn sat down next to him. Kenny and Kyle said hello, gave Butters their regards, Kyle gave some advice on how to clear up his head, and Kenny checked Kyle for any vomit that might’ve gotten on him. There was a big stain on his pant leg, and Kenny promised he’d get him something to clean that up and tell whoever was controlling the music to put on some better music. Kyle made his way through the party, looking for Stan, people looking at him strangely for having vomit on him.  
Wendy and Heidi were sitting together, still talking pleasantly amidst the near hundred of party goers crammed into the tiny house. They were laughing together, when Heidi suddenly turned and stopped laughing looking down with a smile on her face. Wendy turned to see Eric Cartman coming this way. “H-hey, Eric,” Heidi greeted him sheepishly as he walked up to the two of them.  
Cartman put a hand behind Heidi and leaned against the couch, his large presence imposing on the two of them. “Hey, Heidi. What’s going on here?” He asked with a happy tone.  
“Nothing, just… Catching up with Wendy.” Heidi explained, pointing back at her over her shoulder with her thumb. “You remember Wendy, right?”   
“Ohh, right. I thought you and her weren’t friends anymore. Crazy, I guess that was my fault for forgetting.” He said giving a smirk and an innocent look, waving his hand in the air. “What were you guys talking about?”  
“Oh, you know, just catching up, since we hadn’t seen each other in so long.”  
“OH, that’s nice. She have anything important to say?” He asked leaning in to Heidi, giving her little space.  
“Well… Nothing that important. You know, just, uh, old stuff I didn’t get to see over the Summer… Since I spent all my time with you, honey.”  
“OH, sorry, I didn’t realize I was wasting so much of your time over the Summer,” He told her in a very apologetic tone.  
“Oh, no, it wasn’t like that. I loved all our time together over the Summer. It’s just, I missed hanging out with the girls. Right?”  
“Did you?” He looked from her to Wendy with a warm smile, then back to Heidi. Wendy had stared at Cartman with hatred in her eyes, until Cartman directed her attention back to Heidi, who was looking down, smiling. Wendy adjusted herself to find her eyes, looking at the ground, leaning down on the couch, and seeing some kind of worry in her eyes. Wendy took her worry as fear. She knew what this was. Cartman was a conniving man. He knew how to control people well.  
“I don’t know, it would have been nice to see some more of my friends over the Summer. Or when school started.”  
“Well, I’m sure there have been plenty of opportunities to hang in school. Don’t you guys share any classes, or something?” He looked back to Wendy.  
“Well… Bebe and I share home room.”  
“Don’t you guys ever talk in there? I mean, who do you eat lunch with? I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to eat with you?”  
“N-no, I don’t really talk with anyone at lunch either.”  
“Awe, you’ve got a whole lunch wave to yourself, then?”  
“N-no, there are some people in there.”  
“Well, who do you sit with? Why don’t they sit with you, honey?”  
“I don’t know… I guess… Maybe they just don’t want to?”  
Wendy thought this would be the time to jump in as Cartman attempted to put in her mind that her friends didn’t like her anymore. “Well, c’mon, honey, I’m sure that’s not true. C’mon, wanna go talk to some people? Some of the my friend’s would love to talk to you. Why don’t we go talk to some people, huh?” Cartman took her by the hand.  
“Wait,” Wendy put a hand on her knee a got closer to her. “Wendy, I’m sorry it’s been so long since we last got together. I would love to see you some time. But it’s not our fault.”  
“Oh, what do you mean it’s not your fault, eh?” Cartman asked her, angrily. He was going to make sure whatever she said would come off as her putting the blame on Heidi. Wendy had to tread carefully. Wendy looked Heidi in the eyes, and then Cartman. He gave an evil smirk at her. Wendy decided Cartman’s ability to control would be too hard to fight against in this situation, and so, she let her leave with him. She sat there, angry, and thinking of how she could best help her friend.  
Kyle bumped his way through the party until he finally found Stan, drinking quite heavily. Kyle let out a sigh, and thought to himself, of course, and then continued to make his way over to his friend. Stan lied about, a bottle of Jack in his hand, chugging straight from the bottle. “You ever think of going easy on the booze at these things?”  
Stan turned to see Kyle, and grew a big smile on his face as he gave him a hug, “Thank god, you’re here. I really needed you right now.” He told him he let him go, “Why do you have vomit on your leg?”  
“Oh god damn it, that’s because of Butters. He ran out of the party and threw up on me. It’s not that bad, is it?”  
“Eh. It’s kind of bad.” Stan held the bottle out to him. “You want some?” he offered.  
“No, I’m good. Why did you want me to come?” Kyle asked, impatient having to be here at all.   
“Oh, I just needed you here with me. Could, um, could we go somewhere and talk?”  
“Kenny’ll be looking for us.” He pointed out.  
“Oh, right. This won’t take long, though, I promise.” The two of them took off. To upstairs to one of the bedrooms, where they could be alone.  
In Clyde room, the next room over, Cartman and Heidi had snuck upstairs as well, for the purpose of being alone for a minute. Cartman was standing over Heidi, who sat on the bed, looking down at her hands. She fiddled with her thumbs, thinking of what was really in front of her. Heidi was very smart, and she thought she knew what it meant to be in a healthy relationship. But a lot of the time she questioned whether or not this was healthy. It wasn’t like Cartman ver hurt her, she thought. He’s been nothing but supportive. But I don’t know if i’m happy here. But who else do i even have besides him? Oh god, I’m so dependent on him. This… This is unhealthy. But… But I… I don’t know if I could leave him. I… Care about him too much Am I even strong enough. “I don’t know if I can do this right now.” She let slip out.  
Cartman looked down at her baffled. “What do you mean, you can’t do this right now?”  
“I… I don't want to be… doing it. I don’t feel good about this.”  
Cartman sat down on the bed next to her. He tried finding her eyes but she glanced away. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong. Is it what you and Wendy were talking about earlier?”  
“No. No, it’s just that this feels somehow… Wrong.”  
“Hey, if something's wrong, then you should feel free to tell me.” He said. He reached over to put a hand on her back, but she flinched, reaching up and stopping him. “Hey, what’s this now?”  
“It’s just… I don’t think I’m happy in this relationship.” She moved her hand back down to cover her mouth and she shut her eyes.  
Cartman looked down and gave a chuckle. “Heh. i get it.” And he stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. “I’ve seen it before. People, unhappy with their lives.” Heidi looked up at him. “Could count the times on my fingers, I’ve seen friends in relationships. They feel like their being crushed, I’d say.” Cartman turned to her. And you think you’ll be able to grow outside of this relationship. You want out? That’s fine. I bet that Wendy made you really think about it.” Heidi moved her hands down to show her mouth the slightest bit agape. “You feel so held down right now, I bet you think you’ll be doing better without me. But who else is there for you besides me. Wendy, I doubt she even cares about you. Or at least, not like I care about you. You really are important to me, and i want to see you flourishing, but what will you be without me? No support, no friends? When was the last time someone offered to help you with anything other than me?”  
Heidi looked back down. She had to think about it. It was in her brain now. Did anyone really care about her? Could she make it on her own? No, this was him trying to make her feel alone. Making her need him. But maybe she did. She couldn’t think that Wendy was right, because she hated Cartman so much. A lot of her friends did. And would they sacrifice her own happiness for Cartman to remain unhappy? Were they even her friends anymore? “Oh, let me ask you, what would you be without me? Eh?” That question was it. Heidi fixated on it. That was it. She clung to it. “You're the smartest girl I know, maybe the smartest person. But would you know that if it weren’t for me? I’ve been there, I’ve been supporting you. And could you ever really make it if i weren’t there? Like I said, I’ve seen it. Relationships fall apart, and so do people. You can love me, baby, but you can’t walk out. And I guess someone just had to tell you what this was all about.” Cartman sat back down next to her. She wouldn’t look him in the eye, as she now knew, she couldn’t stay in this relationship, but did nothing as he leaned over, pushing her hair out of the way, and started biting at her neck.  
About ten minutes later, Kyle came down the stairs alone. Kenny was there, looking about, and just so happened to catch Kyle at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled and ran over to him. “Kyle! I’ve been looking for you. Here you go!” And he handed him a towel.   
“Thanks, I really needed this right now,” He said annoyed, glancing back up the stairs. “I think I wanna get out of here.” He told Kenny.  
“Really? What about Stan?”  
“Stan’s fine. This whole thing was a waste of time. He just needed someone to talk to for ten minutes.”  
“Oh, okay?” Kenny looked up the stairs. “Uh, hey,” He looked back to Kyle with a smile, ‘If you wanna go, I’d still love to go get you something to eat.” Kyle took a deep inhale, and slowly grew to a smile as he exhaled.  
“Yeah. That’d be really good right now. Let’s get out of here.” The two of them left the party. Butters and Token were sitting on the lawn, Butters in Token’s lap, his arms wrapped around his neck, passionately shoving his tongue down Token’s throat.  
“Might wanna bring that inside,” Kenny mocked them. “You two have a good night, ya got it?” He waved goodbye to them. He turned back to Kyle. “So, I might’ve had a few shots in those ten minutes, but I promise, I’m good to drive.”  
“Jesus, why is everyone in this town such fast and heavy drinkers?” Kyle asked to himself. The two of them headed to David’s family restaurant, where David wasn’t at, and were served by Mr. Rodriguez, who was still just as ind to his son’s two best friends. They sat in the restaurant til about ten, and then Kenny dropped off Kyle at his house. “Thanks for driving me home Kenny.” Kyle thanked him.  
“No problem, man. I’d do anything for you.” He told him with a smile. As Kyle turned and walked away, Kenny leaned on his car’s open window, watching him go smiling at him. Kenny then turned, reached for his glove compartment, and took out his cigarettes, taking a moment to light up and take a puff, staring up to Kyle’s bedroom window. Then he turned back to the road, “Fuck it, you're crazy, McCormick.” And he drove off.


	3. Think About Me

It was the day after Clyde’s party. The party itself had ended quite early. About three hours after it’s start, the whole thing got busted up by the authorities, though every kid in town had come to realize that the police in town were too incompetent at their jobs to be able to enforce any laws, and everyone was able to scramble away from the cops before getting taken in. There were still lingering joys over the victory against Orange County for which the party had been thrown, and it was the talk of the small town from Friday till Tuesday. But the day after, it wasn’t a concern to Kyle. The only thing on his mind about the night before was how once again he had let his best friend sleep with him. He wondered about why this kept happening, and why it had even started. His friendship with Stan used to be unquestionable. They seemed inseparable. But as of lately, there were cracks in their friendship, Stan using Kyle for sex being the biggest one. And on top of it, how he continued dating Wendy. The whole affair was a secret to everyone other than the two of them, and as such, to every outside viewer, their friendship seemed to be unchanged. Still best friends as usual. Stan might even think the same himself. In fact, the one with the only qualms with the matter, as it seemed to kyle, might be himself. But he didn’t feel he could talk about this with the person he needed to talk to it about the most, Stan. Kyle sat in his room, thinking of how long this had all been going on, and hw happy he was the first time he slept with Stan. He had honestly thought when this first happened he might be in love with Stan. And that this endeavor was Stan proving to him that he felt the same way about him. Kyle lied in bed staring at the ceiling. He wondered now if he had really whispered out, “I love you,” that first time he felt Stan inside of him. He knew of course he did, but wondered if Stan had heard it, clutching pillow close to his chest. Stan was pretty drunk that first night, anyway. Stan’s drunk so often when they sleep together. But not always, he specifies to himself. And the times when he’s not, it feels so much more sensual. Like Stan actually cares about him. He look him deep in the eyes, and hold him close, and whisper sweet things in his ear. But since that first time, neither of them have said they love one another. More importantly, Stan never left Wendy for him. And what does that prove to you, Kyle thought. Does he really want to be with me? If so, he wouldn’t need to still be with Wendy. Does he love either of us? Why does he do this why do I let him do this?  
There was a buzzing from Kyle’s bedside. Kyle quickly looked over. It was his phone. He couldn’t see who was calling and slowly reached for the phone. As he picked it up, he turned it so he could see who was calling. Kenny? Kyle didn’t want to talk at the moment. He felt too much shame to face up to him. Then again, Kenny had paid for dinner last night, and Kyle should probably make it up to him for putting himself out of the way like that. He knew Kenny didn’t have a lot of spending money to be throwing around, and that was putting it lightly. Kyle put down the phone and let it ring out. Let Kenny think he was sleeping in. Kyle rolled over in his bed. Kyle continued tossing and turning over the thoughts racing through his mind about the many occasions he and Stan had hooked up. It had been almost a year now that they had kept this up. But by now, he elt ready to quit th whole oreal. He wouldn’t go telling Wendy or anything. He still cared about Stan. but he wished they could go back to being friends the way they were before. He hated feeling this way. Like no one even cared about him.  
Suddenly, there was a ta at the window of Kyle’s room. A light knocking Kyle sat up in his bed and crawled over to the window, drawing the curtains back. A hand suddenly ame into view from the right, scaring Kyle and causing him to jump back in his bed. The hand waved to him, before retracting out of sight. Kyle moved back towards the window and looked out to his right, where Kenny was standing on top of a ladder, smiling at him. Kyle pressed his head against the glass, chuckling ever so slightly. He then opened his window and leaned out, looking over to his friend, amused by his persistency. “What are you doing?”  
“Just wanted to check up on you after last night. Wanna make sure you’re holding up okay.”  
Kyle gave a gulp. Kenny wasn’t stupid with this kind of stuff. Maybe he knew what was actually going on. “What do you mean? Why would i have any reason to be anything other than okay?”  
“Just, when we were eating dinner, you seemed so out of it. Barely even seemed there. So, the best way to find out whether or not someone’s okay is to look in on them when they think no one’s around. And I thought you never sleep in past eleven, even if it a Saturday, I think it has something to do with the fact that you’re actually crazy, but anyway, I called you a little while ago and when there was no answer, I got worried and wanted to come check up on you.”  
Kyle gave a smile, looking down to keep Kenny from knowing it. He didn’t know. Kyle had at least one solid friendship left in his life. He looked back up at him. “Kenny, I can promise you, I’m fine. I just… I just want to be alone right now.”  
Kenny raised his eyebrows at him, “Are you sure? I feel like you’ve been pretty depressed lately. And I feel like it has something to do with Stan.”  
Kyle grew concerned, “What do you mean by that?”  
Kenny looked into Kyle’s eyes and turned back away behind the large brim of his hood. “Look. I know Stan’s your best friend. And he doesn’t really hang out with us all that much anymore. Our friend group has changed a lot over the years. We ditched Cartman, and then Butters stopped hanging out with us after I broke up with him, and that was on me, and then David became our fourth, and he’s always been a good friend, but Stan’s always been your number one. And ever since high school started, and he got so serious about football, it seems like he spends all his time with THAT group, that group of… Clyde, Token, and even Cartman. Fuck, we hang out more with Tweek and Craig and all their friends. But I know that he still cares about you. I bet he still looks at you like his best friend. It’s just how time changes us, y’know? But hey, even if Stan doesn’t have the time, I’m still here for you. Throughout the changing years, you and me have always been there for each other. And I don’t want that to stop. So if Stan isn’t there for you, I want to be.” Kenny took a moment’s pause, looking at his hands holding the ladder. He turned back to Kyle with a wide, grin displaying his yellowish grey teeth, “Heh, sorry! I got to rambling there! I guess I got lost in my own thoughts. Feel like I just ended up bumming myself out. Maybe I should just go. This isn’t my ladder, anyway. Cartman’s gonna be wondering who stole his stuff again, today.”  
The thought of Cartman’s rage flaring up with no one to blame made Kyle smile. “It’s nice to hear you're there for me, Kenny. I guess I could actually use someone in my corner.” Why don’t you toss the ladder down behind the bushes where no one can see it and come inside.”  
Kenny dropped the ladder out of sight, then knocked at the front door. Mrs. Broflovski came out of the kitchen, asking to herself, “My, I wonder who that could be.”  
“I’ll get it, mom,” Kyle yelled down the stairs, standing in his door frame, as he quickly ut on some clothes for the day.  
As he came barreling down the stairs, Mrs. Broflovski noted, “I thought you might’ve been sleeping all day, today.”  
“It’s only eleven, why do people find it so strange I slept in a little?” Kyle asked to no one, opening the door to reveal the charming smirk in the orange hoodie, “It’s just Kenny, mom.”  
“Oh, I should have expected, all that noise coming down the road, what else but that old beat up truck of yours,” Mrs. Broflvski muttered to them, walking over to greet him, “Come on in, we’ve got food ready. Ike is already in the kitchen, he made brunch for him and his little friends.”  
“Brunch?” Kyle asked.  
“Friends?” Kenny asked. Kenny and Kyle entered to see firkle, Ruby and Karen sitting at the kitchen counter. Kenny looked around the room with a great confusion. “Karen, how the hell did you get here? When did you come over?”  
“Ruby’s brother came by and picked me up a few hours ago. He dropped us both off and took off with his boyfriend.” Karen explained  
“Tweek and Craig were at my house?” Kyle asked with his own measurable confusion. Kenny and Kyle looked to each other about the odd set of circumstances. “Whatever. Ike, would you mind cooking for two more?”  
“Not at all, Kyle. We should have talked Craig and Tweek into staying. Have a whole family brunch together.”  
“If my brother were going to stay, I would have just walked home.” Ruby commented.  
“Well, how do you feel about this, karen?” Ike asked.  
“I don’t mind. In fact, it’ll be nice to eat with my brother. It seems like the two of us are never eating together anymore since he started working.” Kenny and Kyle sat down next to one another, as Kyle turned to Kenny with a postulating look.  
“When did you start working?” He asked him.  
“Oh, uhh, it’s been awhile, now. I’m working nights down at the City Wok. Sometimes on weekends I’ll take a catering job for parties. You know, part time stuff. Needed to start earning money after my dad left.”  
“Oh. Right. That’s very responsible of you.”  
“Eh, anything to help out, y’know.”  
”Right, course.” Kenny’s dad had left about four years ago. Kyle’s dad had been kicked out three. When Kenny’s dad left, Kyle, Stan and Butters helped to be as supportive as possible to him. For about a week. And then Kenny stopped being sad, as it seemed, and put on his usual face of uncaring smugness. He started dating Butters around that time in middle school, and drinking. Kyle assumed that Butters was the one Kenny was talking to about everything in this time. When Kyle’s parent’s got a divorce, Kyle was in a slew of different emotions. He knew his father was a total asshole. And he had been a total asshole to him and his brother for quite some time. Kyle felt like he didn’t care about them at all. BUt he didn’t want to grow up without a father. There was something of what a healthy family meant to him engraved in his head. When this divorce hit, Kyle wasn’t sure what to feel. And in that time, it was Kenny, Stan and David who were there for him. In that tim, Kyle tried admitting to Stan about his sexuality. And wanted to also explain that he had deeper feelings for him. But after admitting he was attracted to men, Stan became confused. Stan didn’t know what his own sexuality was anymore. And after being with Wendy for so long. It seemed to him back in middle school that his relationship with Wendy had grown since elementary school to something real, instead of simple children’s play at a relationship. But now, what did he even want? He stepped back from Kyle, Kenny, and everyone else who could confuse him, avoiding even thinking about his sexuality. Eventually, David and Kenny were the only ones there for Kyle during his healing process, a lengthy one only worsened by Stan decidedly stepping out of his life. It was becoming clear to Kyle that every instance of him needing someone since elementary school, Kenny had so often been there, even when Stan, someone who was supposed to be his best friend wasn't anymore.  
Ike laid out french toast on Kyle’s plate, bringing him out of his deep thought. Ike moved on to Kenny next, asking Kyle without looking over to him, “Something got you distracted, there, Kyle?” Kyle looked about. Kenny was staring at him with a concerned look, and as he looked around the table, saw Firkle looking at him as if he was insane, Ruby looking at him with the same uninterested look of her brother, and Karen with a puzzled expression.  
Kyle look to Kenny, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just been kind of distracted, today.” He looked down at the breakfast Ike had made him. He smiled with a light chuckle, “This looks really good, Ike.”  
“Thanks, Kyle,” Ike cordially returned, bowing his head ever so slightly. Kyle saw he was wearing the stupid apron that made him look like a princess Karen had gotten him for his birthday. Kenny was admiring it, rubbing his hairy, unshaven chin.  
“I gotta get an apron like that.” He noted.  
“I’ll keep that in mind for your next birthday,” Karen promised him.  
Kyle cut through his French Toast as Ike came around with a glass of OJ, asking if anyone wanted some. Kyle and Kenny both took a glass. Kyle thought about how many times Kenny had been there for him but he hadn’t been there for him He thought about how he should probably make that up to him. He decided to start small. Make up for last night’s dinner. “Hey, Kenny, you didn’t happen to be doing anything today, were you?”  
Kenny looked up at Kyle, mid way into biting down on a massive piece of french toast. He moved it slightly out of his mouth so he could respond. “No, nothing that particular. Why, you have something in mind?”  
“Kenny, would you like to go to the mall?”  
“Well, sure, I guess. Why, what you got in mind?”  
Kyle gave a shrug. “I don’t know. I was thinking of maybe getting you something. You know, get even for last night’s dinner. And maybe all the gas you go expending on me?”  
“We split gas money, most the time.” Kenny pointed out, glancing around the room to stop occasionally at Kyle, looking through his records of their many drives.  
“Yeah, right. I don’t know. I just wanna do something nice for you.”  
“Well, I mean, you don’t have to-”  
“Kenny, I want to.”  
“Well… I, I mean, sure. Let’s go.”  
“Awesome.” Kyle looked down to his breakfast, then had a sudden compulsion to look up. Ike and Firkle were looking at him, and Ruby and Karen at Kenny. The six of them sat awkwardly eating their breakfast, talking lightly.  
Kenny and Kyle said their goodbyes and headed out the door. Ike watched as they went before getting up and heading to the fridge. Firkle turned to Karen, “You sure your brother was home last night?”  
Karen looked at him shocked at his inference, but then thought about it and the serious possibility he wasn’t, and began reenacting the morning in her mind. “No one was here last night. I would’e heard them if they entered,” Ike reasoned.  
“I don’t know, Karen’s brother is a real loser. He might’ve climbed in with a ladder, like it was some kind of eighties movie.”  
“I feel like that tactic of climbing through the window is less outdated than you think. Although I doubt that actually happened.”  
“And my brother’s not a loser,” Karen chimed in.  
“No more than mine.” Ruby mumbled. She raised her head and thought for a moment. “Although, I know Craig has been one to sneak into Tweek’s house through his bedroom window, but he’s so freakishly tall, he can just jump it. I think he had a stepping stool.”  
Firkle took up a big chunk of French toast. “Well, if they did sneak in, then there would be a ladder, because Kenny couldn’t jump to a second story window, and if there’s a ladder, then they might be taking it right now.” He pointed his fork at the door. “This might be your only chance to know.”  
Karen and Ruby looked to one another, and then Ruby was the first to make a dash for the window. Karen soon followed, and they peered out towards their elders. “They don’t got a ladder, Firkle. Totally wrong!” Ruby mocked him.  
“Yes there is,” Ike said with a certain dismay. Ruby and Karen looked over to him, standing in the adjacent doorway, looking down at the ladder in the bushes, with a smirk. He looked up to Kyle and Kenny, who were now in his car. Kyle looked out from the passenger’s seat to Ike, and gave a peace sign to him with a flick of the wrist. Ike waved back, pleasantly, not hiding any feelings other than pleased he might be feeling at the moment, no seriously considering the possibility before them. The two of them then drove off.  
Kenny and Kyle were walking through the mall together. Kenny walked swinging his legs out in front of his body and sending them astray. Kyle looked over to him. He was getting confused because of how Kenny kept not looking at any of the stores. It seemed like he had nowhere he wanted to be. Kyle looked around for a while, before he ad to ask, “So, where do you want to go?”  
“I dunno,” he excused with a shrug, “I don’t think i really need anything.”  
“Really? You don’t need anything? Not even a new jacket?” Kyle hinted.  
Kenny just chuckled at the implication. “Why would I need a new jacket?” He asked with a smile.  
“I don’t know, because you’ve been wearing this jacket for a couple of YEARS?”  
Kenny raised his arms to look at the sleeves of his jacket. It was certainly full of holes, and losing it’s orange tinge by this point. “Well, it’s like my car, y’know? LIke you said, it has character.”  
“Yeah and character is fine, but this is supposed to be keeping you warm, and on that account, it looks like it might be failing. Horribly. Tell you what, we can go to Urban Outfitters. There, they have fake character for all of their clothes. We’ll get you a jacket with slightly fewer holes, maybe even a new pair of pants, you’ll look great.” Kyle took Kenny by his already stuck out arm and dragged him off to a department.  
Standing inside the store, Kenny looked around at all the clothes, thinking about how they all seemed so weird to him. Everything seemed average to him. He walked by a rack of records up to a pair of dirty looking work overalls. Kenny turned to Kyle with a sour look. “What kind of monster sells this crap?”  
“Urban Outfitters, that’s who. Shopping for hipsters everywhere.”  
“If this is what the kids are wearing nowadays, I must be pretty cool,” He displayed the clothes he was wearing to Kyle, proud of all the holes in his jacket. He walked back past Kyle over to the album rack. “Jesus, what kind of sucker is buying these things? And seriously, if you’re gonna buy records, why are you gonna do it in a clothing store? Might as well buy CDs from…” He turned back to Kyle, pointing to him, “Kyle, Starbucks used to sell CDs, right?”  
“Huh?” Kyle shook his head with a baffled look, “I could honestly not tell you. That’s a question for Tweek, he’s worked in one for, like, ten years, now.” There was a distinct shriek like noise that could be heard from within the store. Kyle and Kenny looked about for a moment before giving it a shrug off, and turning back to their business Kenny went through the records, picking up one.  
“Oh, Kyle.” He said, ecstatically. Kyle looked back, and Kenny gave dramatic swiel on his toes to reveal to Kyle Nirvana’s Nevermind. “Favourite album right now. After all these years of hearing about how amazing Nirvana is from basically everyone, finally gave a listen, and it is just amazing.”  
“Okay, that’s good, that’s something I can work with.” Kyle walked away from Kenny, who tilted his head as he walked off, wondering where he was going. Kyle then came back with the standard Nirvana t shirt. He displayed it for Kenny, “We could get this to go with, like, a whole new outfit.”  
Kenny seethed in air with a worried look. “I don’t know if I like that shirt, though…”  
“Kenny, everyone’s got this shirt. People who haven’t even listened to Nirvana own this shirt.”  
“I know, and that’s why I don’t want it. The shirt means actually nothing. Wearin it seems like a greater indication that you DON’T know anything about Nirvana.”  
“Okay, fine.” Kyle walked back away to put the shirt back. Kenny swiveled back and put the record back in place. Kenny walked around the corner and saw Kyle folding the shirt properly. He gave a smile. Kenny turned and walked to the other side of the store, where he looked about and headed over to a rack of t shirt dresses. He gave a sigh. Enny was hesitant about letting Kyle buy him something. He was uncomfortable with receiving hand outs. He wanted to just point at the smallest thing he could, have Kyle get it, and get out of here. Maybe turn this around. They were already there, why not get something for Kyle? Kenny thought that if he spent money, it would make him seem like things were okay. Having money to throw around on someone else meant you had good money. Kenny couldn’t afford to be tossing money around on everyone, but he didn’t actually care whether or not everyone in school thought he was poor or not, the only person he wanted not worrying about him was Kyle. That and anytime he could give something to Kyle made him feel all the better.  
Kyle walked up to Kenny, keeping a little distance between them before Kenny noticed him watching as he very intently looked at each dress. Kenny seemed to have picked one he liked the most and was investigating thoroughly. Kyle walked up to him. “Do you like that?” He asked him, giving a pleasant smile.  
Kenny looked up at him, then down at the dress nervously before chuckling it off, “Oh, yeah, love it. Think it’d look good on me? Heh.”  
Kyle gave a chuckle. “Yeah. Right. But I don’t know, I do llike the purple. I think it goes well with orange.” Kyle pointed out.  
Kenny looked up to him, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, before becoming the tiniest of smiles, “Heh, I don’t know, I’d end up looking like a flower with those pairings,” He pointed out, only half sarcastic.  
Kyle pulled out his phone, Kenny shoved the dress back among the others on the rack and turned away from them and started walking away. Kyle quickly hopped back up to him. “Good compliments to orange would be a bold red, Black, LIght blue and pink.”  
Kenny looked to Kyle and then down at the floor. “It’s not like I would ever actually buy one of those dresses.”  
“”Kenny, whatever you want. I want to get you something. Whatever you’re comfortable with, I want to get you something that makes you feel good. Because I want you to know how much I appreciate how good you make me feel.” Kenny had to stop moving to give a smile. Kyle turned around to face him with his head down, raising a hand to his head, well hidden under his hood. “Kenny?”  
Kenny raised his head to show Kyle his bright smile. “Alright, Broflovski. You wanna get into this? Let’s go.”  
Kenny and Kyle walked out of Urban OUtfitters with one big bag. The replacement orange jacket had been almost seventy dollars, the shirt twenty five, and the jumper skirt forty. But Kyle didn’t mind. Kenny was a good friend, and deserved a gift for at least that much. Kenny switched out his hoodies outside the store. “And no holes,” He pointed out. “Such opportunity.”  
Kyle gave a chuckle, “If that’s how you want to look at it. So explain to me what the shirt is?”  
“Eh?” Kenny went, looking into the bag and seeing the big bold title, Tower Records. “Oh, that.” The two of them started walking, “Tower Records was like Best Buy for music. Rentable records and cassettes and stuff. Went outta business a long time ago.”  
“Alright, got it.” kyle confirmed. “So, what made you want that?”  
“Just the bright red and yellow.  
“We could’ve just gone to any other clothing store and gotten the Misfits t shirt they all have.”  
“Same situation as the Nirvana shirt.”  
The two of them drove back to Kyle’s house. They listened to Nirvana on cassette, the only format of music Kenny’s old hunk of junk accepted. As they pulled up in front of his place, Kenny let out a big sigh, “Well, I’ll be seeing you later, then, Kyle.” He said.  
“Right.” Kyle unbuckled himself and walked around to the other side of Kenny’s truck. He stopped there and looked back Kenny was just staring at him, leaning against the open window. Kyle walked up to him, “You wanna come inside?”  
“What?”  
“I mean, it’s only one thirty. C’mon. You can try on your new clothes, if you want.” He gave him a smile. Kenny smiled back.  
“Alright Broflovski.” He said, and grabbed his back, hand cranking up the window with a lot of force, and stepping out. He walked up to Kyle who was already heading towards the door. He closed the three inches in height difference getting on his tippy toes up to Kyle’s ear, and whispered, “Thanks, man.”  
Kyle looked down towards the ground with a smile. “No problem.


	4. Save Me a Place

The next week of school was average for everyone. The hype felt on Monday boiled away as the week went on, and soon they were all just looking froward to the next game, another expected victory. But as for Wendy, she had more important concerns. She felt she had to find her old friend Heidi. But this year, she simply had no connection with her left. Cartman had her and him both give up social media and even their cell phones, so it was like there was no way to contact her. Her schedule was a mystery to everyone, none of her other friends seemed to be in any of her classes. She was taking very advanced courses this year, the only other person in their grade on her level was Wendy herself, but she must’ve been in the transverse classes to her. A just too convenient reasoning. Wendy decided she had to investigate into this. Tuesday, Wendy broke her perfectly untardy attendance record, scoping out some of the other classes in hopes of finding Heidi. She failed on that day, and felt great shame over the whole thing Her parents asked her when she got home why she had been late to every class, and Wendy had no explanation for them.   
The next day, she decided to sneak out of her classes under the ruse of needing to go to the bathroom. She didn’t go far, though. She only gave her about three minutes to leave the classroom and get back, to avoid seeming suspicious. She did this twice, and realized how pointless this whole thing was, and instead, in her Physics class, decided to ask Kyle, another high level student in their grade, whether he shared a math class with Heidi. Upon approaching him, he didn’t look at her until she called out his name and sat down next to him. When she asked, Kyle took a deep breath and turned to her. “What is it, Wendy?” He asked, anxiously.   
“Are you in a math class with Heidi Turner?” She asked very discreetly.  
Kyle looked at her through the corner of his eye than stared down at a piece of paper he was folding up. “She’s your friend, isn’t she? Wouldn’t you know?”  
“Kyle, just answer the question, this is important.”  
“Yes, she’s in my class.” He answered with a harumph.  
“Okay, thank you.” She turned to face the teacher. Kyle glanced over at her, then down. He kept looking back up at her.  
“Are you just gonna keep sitting here?”  
“What? Do you have a problem with me sitting here?” Wendy asked, insulted by his presumption.  
“No.” He said giving a wave of his hand. “It’s fine. Whatever.” The two of them sat together for the class in silence. When Kyle got up to leave, she walked out with him. Kyle looked back at her, and kept walking away. As he made it to his next class four minutes before it started, he turned to Wendy, still nearby, and walked over to her. “I don’t have math right now. So if you want to see Heidi, you're going to have to wait. Please, just, stop following me.”  
Wendy felt insulted “What’s biting you, Kyle?”  
Kyle looked at her trying to stay angry, but had to close his eyes and turn his head away, “I’m so sick of everyone asking me what my problem is. Geez, everyone today.” And he entered his next class. Wendy watched him go and walked off thinking of how oddly different Kyle seemed around her from everyone else. Wendy went about her regular business of the day, making sure to get out of class, follow Kyle, and look about or Heidi, expecting to find her on the way. How could it be so hard to find a single person?  
It wasn’t until final period that Wendy caught a single sight of her. She was in the math class with Kyle, as he said. She watched her from outside the classroom, where she tried to wave to her. She was looking rather burnt out from where Wendy was seeing, head down, uncaring eyes. She didn’t notice Wendy waving at her from outside the room. Wendy put her hand down, disheartened. She went on to her last class, where she could only think about Heidi. All she could think all weekend. Her and Stan, of course, but it was better thinking about Heidi than Stan at this point. Heidi, she felt she could help. Stan was so hard for her to understand. He seemed to never say what he was feeling. She could get through to Heidi, at least, she hoped. She found herself staring out the window thinking about her.  
Last period ended, and Wendy was running out of the door. She jumped down a floor through the stairwell and cut off the main exit to the school. The math classes were midway between the side doors and the main hall, so Wendy considered this a fifty fifty chance of bumping into Heidi, it all depended on Heidi’s preference on whether or not she wanted to be taking the quickest way out, or if she was going to be taking a longer way. Wendy thought about it, and as more and more people started her, she started moving against the current down the hall towards the other end of the school. She headed out the back way, where there were significantly fewer people about. She managed to get a glimpse of Heidi, turning the corner of the building, and jogged after her. She turned the corner and saw her nearing a bus. She ran after her even faster, attempting to catch her before she got on her bus. She was too late, and had to run on after her. But she was brought to a stop by the bus driver. “I’ve never seen you before?” She told Wendy as she held a hand in front of her, keeping her from going further back.   
“I’m going to ride home with my friend right over there.” Wendy quickly explained through her out of breath pants.  
“Got a note?” the bus driver asked, looking angrily up at Wendy through one eye squeezed open and a face pulled back to the far left side.  
“Well, no, but if I could just see my friend real quick, I’m sure she could vouch for me.”  
“No pass, no entrance.”  
Wendy fumed out an angry breath at this annoying blockade between her and her friend. ‘I’ve never been stopped like this before, I didn’t even know they enforced that whole pass thing’ she thought. She looked over to Heidi. She hadn’t even noticed her. “Heidi!” Wendy called out. Heidi raised her head away from the glass it rested against, eyes wide, as she turned to the front of the bus to see Wendy with great surprise. Wendy reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, holding it up in the air for Heidi to clearly see. She looked at the phone, baffled. Wendy called out again, “Catch!” And Wendy reeled her hand back, giving her phone an underhand toss over to Heidi a few rows back. She caught it and looked up at Wendy with concern. “The password’s my birthday, if you remember that, call Bebe!” Wendy was forced off the bus, and was left in the lot that was emptying out. She looked about to see her stranded and threw her arms up in disappointment. She first thought to call Bebe, then realized that she couldn’t do that, and then thought how this might’ve been a worse snap decision than she had first thought.   
Wendy had made her way back into the school and borrowed someone’s phone to call up Bebe, who she had to be around in case, or as Wendy thought it, until Heidi called. The two of them went back to Bebe’s house where the two of them talked casually for a while. There was a momentary lull in the conversation, and Bebe looked down at her phone, which she reached over and put on the coffee table in between them, which the two of them stared at, hoping for a call from their mutual old friend.  
Bebe looked up at Wendy, “What if she doesn’t remember your birthday?”  
“I would seriously doubt it. I know Heidi. She wouldn’t forget a friend’s birthday.”  
Bebe looked about her house. Her mother didn’t work, but wasn’t here, so she wondered where she might be today. Her mom tended to disappear often, but never really told Bebe or even her husband where, or that she was even going. Bebe had become well aware a long time ago that her mother was not the best female role model growing up. But she felt she had been able to shape herself up pretty well. But there were problems facing her she so very often didn’t know how to feel what about. For a while there had been something biting Bebe. Thinking about her parents made it come up in her mind. She turned back to Wendy, “Hey, can I ask you a question, Wendy?”  
Wendy looked back up from the phone. “Yeah, sure. What’s up?”  
“What… Do you think about Clyde?”  
Wendy cocked her head at Bebe. “What do you mean, what do I think of him,” She asked with a full sense of confusion.  
“I mean, do you think he’s… Good?”  
Wendy looked down at the word good as it drifted out of Bebe’s mouth, and then seemed to float past Wendy down to the left, and then she returned to Bebe, “Well, he’s always been a nice guy? He’s supportive of everyone, whether you’re his friend or not. He’s definitely not the brightest, but that’s not bad, per se.” Bebe, sat forward, touching her fingertips together in the space between her legs. “But I’m guessing you meant that question a little differently.”  
“Do you think he’s good for me?” Bebe specified.  
Wendy watched as for me formed up and floated off, and good suddenly returned to the fray, these three words coming together to finally form a point. “Bebe, are you unhappy in your relationship, because if so, that’s something I recommend you talk about with Clyde?”  
“Wendy, I don’t know if I’m unhappy. I don’t know, maybe at the moment, I’m not. But I don’t know what this relationship is even heading towards. What do I expect to get out of it?”  
“I don’t know. Again, that’s not the kind of thing I can tell you. I’m not exactly the best person when it comes to relationship advice.”  
Bebe leaned back in her large chair. She briefly looked down at the phone, and then back up at Wendy. She was staring down at the phone quite intently. “How are things with you and Stan?” Wendy looked back up at her. “We didn’t really get a good talk about that last Friday.”   
“Uh, god, I don’t know. He said he cares about me, but I don’t even really know. We’ve been going out for so long, I don’t think this is what I want anymore. I still care about Stan, but I think this relationship isn’t helping either one of us. It might be better if we spent some time apart. Let him really evaluate what he wants. Figure out that myself. He always tries avoiding those kinds of conversations. I’ve tried talking to him about this before, but he always pushes it off.” Wendy raised her hand to her head to rest on. She placed her chin in her palm, and then let her hand slip up the side of her face to cover up her eye, where she laid with her eyes closed before pushing her head back and leaning back against her chair. Her hands now rested one on top of the other on her thigh, tapping at herself with a forefinger,before losing the energy to raise her finger back up. Then, there cm the phone call.   
Wendy shot her head back up to stare down at the ringing phone, which Bebe was picking up. Bebe put it to her ear, and answered, “Hello? Heidi, it’s Bebe! It’s so good to hear from you!” Wendy stood from her set and moved around the table, sitting down on top of it, as close to Bebe as possible. “Yeah, Wendy’s right here. Do you wanna talk? Kay, got it,” And she handed the phone over to Wendy. “Tell me everything she says afterwards.  
Wendy looked down the phone, seeing her own name on the phone. She raised it to her ear, and tentatively asked, “Heidi?”  
There was an audible sigh, “Yes.”   
“It’s good to be able to talk with you,” Wendy told her. She couldn’t help a nervous smile from growing across her face.  
“Yeah, I’m happy to hear from you.”  
“I’ve been so worried about you. How have you been?”  
“Um… Not good. I… I can’t break up with Cartman.”  
Wendy moved the phone down to her side as she sat up and took a moment to look around the room. There was no explanation in the room. “What do you mean?”  
“Wendy… For a year now, I’ve had no one but him. He’s had total control of my life. I’m not sure I’d be able to survive being alone.”  
“But don’t you see that’s exactly how he wants you to feel? I-”  
“Yes,” Heidi stopped her. “Wendy, I know what he’s done. I can’t stay with him. I know this isn’t… Healthy. But I don’t know if I even have a choice at this point.”  
“Heidi…” wendy sat back down. “Heidi, you always have a choice. I know it might be… scary. But I can’t stand to see you letting you get hurt like this. I’m here for you. Whenever you leave him, I’ll be right here, waiting to help you.”  
There was silence from the other end. Wendy waited for her response patiently. She brought both hands to the phone. Heidi gave an audible exhale. “I know.” Wendy felt weight growing on her shoulders. “Wendy… I will leave him. Maybe not today. But I know I can't stay like this. I’m… I’m so thankful that I have you to be there for me. It’s been so long since I felt like I had a friend who cared about me.” Wendy could hear her heavy breathing and sniffling. “And… And knowing I have your support… I’ve known for a long time that I’ve needed to end this, but as long as someone who cares about me like you is there, I feel like I’m actually capable of doing something about it. I have to clean my plate of this. And as soon as this is all over with, I’ll be coming to you. I’m going to need a friend after all this. I can count on you to be there for me? Even after I’ve put this… Put him behind me?”  
Wendy gave a sniffle, and wiped her nose clean, “Of course. I’m always here for you. I’ll wait as long as you need, and be there as long as you need. You clean your plate, and I’ll have a place waiting for you.”  
“Thanks. I’ll be coming… I’ll come as fast as I can.” Heidi promised her. “I… I gotta go. I’ll get your phone back to you as soon as possible.”  
“No. You should hold onto it for now. In case you need to contact anyone.”  
“Thanks… Thank you.”  
Heidi hung up and Bebe reentered the room from the kitchen, asking about what she said. Wendy gave a quick explanation, and Bebe absorbed all of it intently. Bebe promised to be there if Heidi needed anyone to talk to, too. Then, Wendy gave her a hug. She then sat back down and asked if she could use Bebe’s phone for one more phone call.  
She got the phone ringing, and sat there waiting for an answer. There was no answer. Wendy didn’t bother leaving a voicemail. Instead she sent a text to the number telling them to call her. She stood up and handed the phone to Bebe. They went up to her room and sat around talking and messing around for a while. Bebe went downstairs and brought up a six pack. “Isn’t it pretty early? And also a school night?”  
“It’s been a long day. For both of us. I need a drink. It’s only beer. And my mom won’t even notice. She never does.” She put the beers between the two of them, and they both partook. Wendy went over to her bedroom window, opening it and leaning against the windowsill, sipping her beer.  
“I think I kind of hate beer. Or maybe just alcohol in general,” Wendy pointed out to Bebe.  
“What? You’re way too young to be giving up alcohol. I wouldn’t quit until at least after college. And even then, I don’t want to give it up.”  
“Y’see, doesn’t that sound weird to you. I feel there a lot of pressure for kids to drink, because of how widely accepted it is as a normal thing in society. It’s weird for someone to not want to drink alcohol, and that seems just like a weird societal standard. It is a drug, alcohol is a drug, but it’s the most widely consumed drug in the world… I think. Well, I’d be willing to bet, at least.” She pointed her beer bottle back at Bebe, and then turned back out to the town. It was still light out. Wendy looked down at her half drunk bottle, and then back out, standing up right and taking a big swig. “Stan drinks way too much for his own good. I’m worried he’s going to become an alcoholic, like his father.”  
There was another ringing. Wendy turned around to see Bebe looking down at her phone and turning it to Wendy to show her the number, “Is this his?” She asked.  
“Yeah.” Wendy walked over and took up the phone, answering it. Stan?” She asked into it.  
“Yeah, is that you, Wendy?”  
“Yes, it is. Stan, I was hoping you’d pick me up from Bebe’s house.”  
“Why don’t you have your phone on you?”  
“I had to lend it to a friend. I’ll tell you everything once you pick me up.”  
Stan gave out a low grumble, “Umm, I’m not sure if I can pick you up right now.”  
Wendy looked back to Bebe looking up at her, before looking away. Wendy walked back over to the open window, looking back out it. She said in a low voice. “Stan. I think it’s important that we talk right now. I need your help with a friend.”  
Stan gave a quiet ah god. “It’s just… I’m busy right now.”  
Wendy raised an eyebrow at that. She quickly looked back at Bebe, who was trying hard not to eavesdrop on the conversation then back out the window, “Stan… This is important.” Stan gave a grumble. “Stan, are you with someone right now?   
There was a moment of silence. “Um, yeah. I’m with Kyle right now.”  
“Oh, okay. Well… Will you guys be long, because we really should talk. It’s about Heidi Turner, and Cartman.”  
“Yeah, sure, um, we won’t be all that much longer. I’ll meet up with you soon.”  
“Kay. See you soon, honey.”  
“Right. Same.” Stan hung up the phone and put it on the night stand at the side of his bed. He looked down at the floor, at his feet, and then at his hairy, bare legs. He turned around to Kyle, lying on his bed under the covers. He was clutching the sheets facing the wall, away from Stan. Stan cast his eyes down. He turned back to his legs. “Sorry about that.”  
“No.” Kyle said. “It’s nothing more than what I should have come to expect.”


	5. Sara (Kyle)

Kenny walked through the halls of his high school longingly. He looked from wall to wall with a smile. The school was pretty much empty at the moment. Kenny wasn’t a bad student, grade wise. Over all, he was about an average student. He had a lot of Cs and Bs. He didn’t really care about his education, and didn’t ever feel like he had to strive. He knew he wouldn’t be going to any college, or a higher education. Couldn’t afford it. So school wasn’t a priority for him. He more so strived to enjoy the time he did have in school. So, he partied. And partook of any tempting fruit he could. He smoked, did pot, had sex with anyone who would let him. But he wasn’t happy with this. He realized a long time ago that a lot of these things weren’t what he wanted. Sex, as much as he enjoyed the act in and of itself, was pointless to him by now. He didn’t like all the casual sex. He hadn’t been having fun with all his partners. It was pleasurable to him knowing he was able to pleasure them, but he just stopped having sex all together with people when he decided he didn’t like the people he was doing it with. By this point in his life, Kenny wanted to feel whole. His family was a broken mess that he felt he had of take care of and was burdening him. His brother would show up so often at the doorstep, full of booze, and once half dead, and his mother would be freaking out, while Kenny would have to find a way to help this brother of his. Kevin had moved away, just like their father had, but still managed to find his way home whenever he was in trouble. His mother, as much as he felt he loved her, was no good in these situations, or in most, and had fallen apart since her husband left. She was liable to start yelling at him about how much of a mess he had made of himself through tears and sweat, and that he was as much of a no good as his father. Kenny no longer felt for his brother, so he had no trouble just fixing him up and sending him on his way the next morning. Mrs. McCormick would yell at Kenny a lot, too. But never Karen. And that was good. He didn’t want her growing up around all the hate she did. Kenny planned that after high school, he would move out with whatever funds he had from the many part time jobs and other what not he did and had been saving up for two years now, and offer Karen a safe place to go to instead of back to that broken home when she needed it. In total, there wasn’t much Kenny wanted. And what he did, he didn’t ask for. He knew better by this point.   
There was one thing that Kenny had been longing for for quite some time. At least since he was in grade school. And that was Kyle. His childhood friend who he wanted to be with for so long. He thought the desire had ended by the time he was in middle school, and was dating Butters. After his dad left, and Butters entered his life in a serious way, that was about the time he had hoped to get with Kyle. But Butters took up that spot, and for a while, Kenny thought that he was actually in love with Butters. After two years, Kenny was cold on the relationship, and wasn’t sure how to move on. He’d never tried breaking up with someone before, and Butters seemed so close to him. Butters had been such a big part of his life, and the same could be said about Kenny in Butters. To just leave seemed absurd to him. He didn’t want to hurt Butters after all he’d done for him. So, instead, he just kept dating him while pursuing his own happiness. The opportunity presented itself for Kenny to hook up with Bebe, and he took it.   
The night Kenny and Bebe did it, they were both drunk. It was Bebe’s first time, and she was experiencing it. She came to Kenny, talking about how happy she and Butters seemed all the time, and how she wished she could be that happy. She asked how she could be that happy, and in a drunken stupor, Kenny decided to show her. The next day of school, word had spread about it, and Butters was furious. That was the end of their relationship, and the end of middle school.   
Entering high school, Kenny had earned the rep of a slut, and hated himself. His freshman year was pretty hard, but he decided to get back on the horse the best way he could. That was when he started smoking pot. He was getting it from his brother, who had already dropped out of high school, and was sticking around town just so he could deal drugs. Then, Kenny started offering drugs to certain people. Namely, Tweek and Craig. The first time the three of them did pot together, Kenny started talking to them about what it was like to have been in a relationship for so long, and they didn’t know how to explain it to him. The three of them became better friends the more they did pot together, and eventually, Kenny inserted himself into their relationship. For less than a year, he went out with both Tweek and Craig in a polyamorous relationship, but eventually, Craig and Tweek decided they wanted to move on from him. Kenny was never clear on why that was. Another two years, and here he was, a junior in high school, and already tired with all the people around him. Except for Kyle. For year, Kyle had been Kenny’s closest and most consistent friend. And Kenny, having known he liked him since elementary school, always felt guilty about that. He felt that he had moved on when dating Butters, but that was just the thrill of being in a relationship. Kenny knew now that Kyle was the person who brought the most joy into his life. And Kenny wanted to be with him. He wanted to protect him, hold him, support him. He wanted to be there for him, and to hold him. But Kenny knew these sort of things were absurd. Their friendship almost seemed like the funniest joke in school. Cartman, who, after joining the football team and starting to date Heidi Turner, had become somewhat popular again and was in such a place where he could mock people with a measurable amount of power in his words, started up them being known as Kenny the slut and Kyle the prude, the most rag tag pair in school. It was a ridiculous proposition for him them to be dating. Even after Kyle came out, Kenny’s momentary swell of pure joy was flushed away by the constant reoccurring thought of how it ultimately had no change on their relationship. So what if he was only ever going to be friends with Kyle? HE friends with a lot of people, he would think, and that’s a fact. Like Agness… Agatha, Jermaine and Jack. I can name three friends right off the bat, he continued to think. You're mixing up your references, McCormick, keep it on point.   
Kenny had a class to be at, as he stomped around one of the back hallways of the school. He wasn’t going to bother going to the class right now. He had too much to deal with, and he could afford to miss it. He’d already missed all his classes of the day so far, and it’s not like the school security guard had a chance of finding him. And the school had no way of reaching his mother, so today had turned into a personal day for Kenny to take stock. He didn’t know where to go with this all.  
It was Friday, two weeks after the last football game was held at the school. In that time, Heidi hadn’t broken up with Cartman, Wendy had begun to question Stan more and more about their relationship, and Kenny continued to question the boundaries of appropriacy. As he walked through the school’s back halls by the gym area, he decided it would be better just to go back to his usual plan, ignore the feelings. In his backpack was his math book, which he kept in pristine condition, didn’t want to have to pay for that shit, a fair amount of pot in a little baggy, his sketchbook and about two dozen loose pens, pencils and various coloured sharpies. He had his phone, which was Kyle’s last, he sold it to him cheap for fifty bucks, and was listening to Nevermind again. It had been what he listened to most of the time for a while, now. Kenny looked around. There was no one. Kenny decided to go out in search of someone.   
Kenny stared through the gym’s door and saw the freshman class running around playing dodgeball. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and went on his way. He popped his head into the weight training room. There were two people on the opposite side of the room, one doing curl ups, the other holding his feet and keeping count. The one doing curl ups had a recognizable light blonde hair colour, and the other a trademark blue, ear flapped beanie. Kenny made his way over to them, hiding behind weight lifting equipment listening to the count, 35, 36, 37, and realized there was a distinct noise between each curl. ‘Oh my god, they’re kissing after each rep, these fucking losers, I love ‘em.’ Kenny made it around the equipment over to them without being noticed and popped out in front of them with a casual greeting of, “you guys share an off block together, and you choose to work out instead of bone in Craig’s car?”  
Tweek gave a shout of fright, as one is known to do, and Craig looked up at him, “McCormick, you mother fucker, don’t always be jumping in on us!”  
“Right, right. I still don’t understand how you two got an off block Junior year.” Kenny looked Tweek up and down. He was wearing a tank top and shorts, an act very rare for him. Kenny had shared gyms with him before, and he would avoid changing due to not wanting people to see his body. It was figurable the only time he would change is when he was alone, and took opportunity of his off block to get time in at a free private gym, whether or not it was shitty. “Looking strong as ever, Tweak.” Kenny complimented him on his rippling muscles which he spent most the time hiding. He looked over at Craig, who was fairly lanky. “When are you gonna catch up, there, Tucker?”  
“Shut up, McCormick,” Craig yelled at him, letting go of Tweek’s feet, and folding his arms, standing up without assistance from his hands and looking down at the nearly half foot shorter Kenny. Fuck do you want?” Kenny watched Tweek fumble to his feet. Tweek made him feel good, due to the two inch advantage he had over him.   
“Right, um,” Kenny kicked his foot, folding his arms and looking up at Craig, leaning back with a big inhale to puff out his chest, sizing him up. “I…” Kenny puffed his air back out. “I could, um. I wanted to talk with someone right now.”  
Tweek and Craig looked to one another and back to Kenny, “What do you want to talk about, McCormick?” Craig asked, relaxing his shoulders and tilting his head sideways at him.  
“I don’t know. I need to blow off some steam, I guess.”  
Craig brought his head around to the other side, snarling at him, “Is that your way of saying you wanna do it, again, McCormick?”  
“What, no, I just, uh. I wanted to just sit and talk.” Tweek passed him and headed over to his bag, grabbing a towel to wipe some of the sweat off his brow. Kenny watched as he passed, and then turned back to Craig, who stared over him, and then looked down at him again, “Fine.” And he too walked passed him. Kenny quickly followed.  
“Your sounding nervous,” Tweek pointed out, “Is there something important you want to tell us about?”  
“Well, no, not really.” He came over and picked up Tweek’s bag for him. The three of them moved over to the locker room. Kenny handed him his bag, and Tweek went to one row of lockers, Kenny and Craig going into the next one over. Craig grabbed a pair of jeans from his bag and pulled off his workout shorts, “What do you wanna talk about?” Craig asked impatiently.  
Kenny gave a tch and scratched at his chin which had started growing a lot of short blonde hairs. “I don’t really know. I hate to be imposing, but I kind of feel like I wanna ask, why did you guys cut me outta your relationship?”  
Tweek asked from the next row over, “What do you mean, we cut you out of the relationship?”  
“Well, in freshman year we were all dating, and then you guys just kinda dumped me in, like, April.” Kenny stuffed his hand into Craig’s bag and pulled out his water bottle, looking it over, and started uncapping it. He started chugging it down, before Craig grabbed it out of his hands. “Hey!”  
“There’s a water fountain right outside the locker room, asshole.” And he put the bottle back in his bag, “Don’t go fumbling through my shit. And you left us, remember?” He told him, pulling out his favourite hoodie and putting it on over his sweaty workout shirt and zipping up.  
Kenny looked about the room for any memory of what he was talking about, before throwing his hands up in confusion, “What do you mean, I broke up with you?”  
“You were the one who wanted to leave the relationship. You weren’t happy with us,” Tweek called out from the row over.  
“What are you talking about, Tweak?” He called back.  
Craig sat down in front of him and looked him in the eyes with the lack of interest visible on his face, “You wanted to be with Kyle.”  
Kenny looked at Craig, lips pouted, and then at the wall separating them and Tweek, and then back at Craig, “Alright, yeah, fair enough. Not really a, uh… A point in denying that much.”  
“You told us this. A lot. You’d always talk about him when drunk or high.” Tweek explained as he came around the corner, fully dressed. Craig got up and went over to him muttering goddamn it, and redid Tweek’s buttons. “Kenny you’re very supportive of all your friends. And it was nice to have someone else there for me when I first started transitioning. But beyond friendship, our relationship was only ever physical. And we both realized that. So we thought it would be better if we stopped having sex so there would be no hold ups, and you and Kyle could start dating. But you never did. And now we’re here.” Craig and Tweek both sat down on the bench next to Kenny.  
“So… Thanks for explaining this all to me, but I gotta say, this was less helpful than I was expecting.”  
“The fuck do you mean, it was less helpful than you were expecting?” Craig asked, annoyed by his comment.  
“I wanted to know how I had fucked up this relationship so I could avoid doing it again with Kyle. And as it turns out, I fucked it up because I wanted to date Kyle. Is that a catch-22?”  
Tweek thought about what that meant, “No, I think that’s more of a full circle situation, since your last relationship failed because of Kyle and your new one with Kyle won’t start. Back to where you were,” Tweek illustrated with his hands making a clockwise circle.  
“Right.” Kenny put his head down great. “Great.”  
“What the hell are you down about?” Craig asked him aggressively. “Just ask him out. What reason would he have for not going out with you?”  
“‘I’ve been his friend for the longest time. I don’t want to put him in a position where he loses that friendship. I want to be there for him.”  
Craig put his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, “The fuck are you, Kenny, if you want something, you go after it. That’s how I’ve known you for years. Cut this whole nervous act out. It isn’t fucking you.” Kenny gave a crooked smirk and raised his head.  
“Okay, fair.”  
“Kenny, we want you and Kyle to be together, because we’re your friends, and we want you guys to be happy, and the only reason you’ve failed in relationships up until this point is because you haven’t been happy in a relationship,” Tweek explained. “Now, do something about it.”  
Kenny gave a sigh. “Alright. First, though, could you guys do me a favour?”  
“What is it?” Craig asked, cautiously.  
“Hold the door for me, I’m gonna wanna smoke first.”  
“Ah, fuck. Yeah, fine, whatever.” And the three of them smoked just outside the back doors to the school.  
Kyle sat in his Spanish class, inattentive. David Rodriguez sat next to him. He looked over to see leaning on his hand, flicking his pencil. He looked down at the blank piece of paper in front of him, and decided to give him a poke. “Hey, Kyle, you alright?”  
Kyle moved his head out of his hands and looked over at his friend. “Yeah,” He put his hands down at his sides and leaned back in his chair, “Fine. Just a lot on my mind.”  
Kenny, Craig and Tweek stumbled down the hall together, Kenny carrying a banjo. Craig was quietly whispering out to Kenny as they made their way towards Kyle’s spanish class on the second floor. Craig grabbed Kenny by the arm, “Kenny, Kenny, you can not play that banjo. That is literally the worst idea.” He told him.  
“No, man. This gonna be good. I’m gonna serenade his sexy ass. Kyle’s.” He specified, holding up his banjo with the grace of a man posing for a photo with his catch of the day.  
“With a fuckin banjo? That is… Literally the least attractive fuckin instrument ever.” He argued.  
Tweek caught up to them, and put a hand to his head, looking at Kenny with great fear in his eyes. “Kenny, what the hell is going on!?”  
“I’m serenading Kyle and his sexy ass.” And he gave a shake of his ass in lieu of Kyle’s.  
“No, wait. Kenny? Were those not just cigarettes?”  
“Huh? Oh, no, those were cigarillos.”  
“Cigarillos? Like, what they use for pot?” Tweek looked down at his hands and then up at Kenny with fear in his eyes, “Kenny did you just give us pot!?”  
“Yeah,” He gave a giggle and a smile.  
Craig and Tweek looked at him with shock. Craig grabbed him by the folds of his jacket and pulled him over to the lockers, “You sunnova bitch, you drugged us!” He yelled in his face.  
Kenny kept giggling, “What’re you talking about, we do this all the time?”  
“I thought we were smoking cigarettes, we each smoked one entirely. We have another class!”  
“So skip, that’s what I’ve been doing all day.” Kenny offered them. “It’s not like it’s gonna be that different, whether ya go or not.”  
“Oh my god,” Tweek started freaking out, “Oh my god, I can’t go missing classes, I can’ go to class like, this now.” Tweek put a hand to his throat, “Oh god, I’m really feeling it now, oh jesus.”  
“Guys, c’mon, we can get through this together, just stay calm.”  
“That’s easy for you to say, I have to pass my next class, you know!? I can’t be going missing classes.”  
“Easy, easy. The years barely even started. I’m sure you can pull through. You’re a better student than me. Besides, who’s gonna notice, with you deep brown eyes? People won’t even see it. I’d be more worried about Tweek.” Tweek let out a cry at the mention of his name, “He’s got that one deep blue…” Kenny giggled, “Arian eye. They sparkle, like rhinestones in the sky, y’see. People will look into it and see his soul, and also the dilation. Mostly the dilation. That’s why I grabbed these cool sunglasses,” He referred to the new years 2010 sunglasses he was wearing that looked both outdated and tacky as hell. He adjusted the fit on his face. “C’mon, let’s go.” The three of them didn’t make it up the stairs. They sat down, and Kenny started playing on his banjo.  
As their class came to an end, Kyle and David walked out of their class together. David had his hands holding his head up, staring up at the ceiling, talking to Kyle. So, you and Kenny going to the game together again, tonight?” He asked him.  
“I don’t know. It’s not a lot of fun watching those games for me anymore.”  
“But you're more into football than half of the team? And definitely more than me. What’s going on?”  
“I don’t know. It’s kind of hard to see Stan nowadays.”  
“Right. I’m sorry you guys have gotten kind of distant in recent years. But I’m still there. And Stan still loves seeing you at the games. He says it fills him with joy to be able to look up at the crowds and see you. He still considers you his best friend, man.” David told him, trying to console him. Kyle clutched the straps of his bag more tightly at how differently that sentiment meant to him than how David wanted it to. David turned to Kyle and asked him, “Do you hear that?” Kyle looked at him confused, and then stuck out an ear to listen for what he might be referring to. David and Kyle walked into the stairwell, where a bit of a sizeable crowd had gathered. The two of them looked down from the second floor to where directly below them were Tweek, Kenny and Craig, all of them with sunglasses on, Kenny with his banjo, playing show tunes and singing with soul.  
Kenny sung lead, with his angelic voice at a slow pace, “But she met him down at the station, Put a shotgun to his head, and unless I be mistaken, this is what she said:”  
Then, He and the other two kicked it in harmony, “Big bad big boy, big bad Leroy Broooown!” And he gave it three strums on his banjo and Kenny whispered, “I’m gonna get that cutie pie.”  
“Bring back, Bring Back, bring back that Leroy Brown, Yeah! Gone and Got himself elected President, We want Leroy for President!” Kyle and David pushed through the crowd down to the bottom of the stairs as they continued, and as Kyle made his way next to Kenny smiling at his ridiculous and over the top performance. “Bring the big, bad Leroy back. I want him back.” And he flung the banjo up into the air from his success. He got an applause for his performance, and the he bathed in their admiration, before turning around to see Kyle, whom he gave a surprised smile, and hid his banjo behind his back, “Hey there, Kyle.”  
“I haven’t heard you play in a while. Almost forgot you could.” He said with a bit of sarcasm and a happy smile.   
“You should’ve heard The Weight.”  
“The what?” he giggled.  
“The Weight, by The Hand,” He framed the invisible titles in front of him. “They chose poor naming conventions.”  
“Right. What are you doing.”  
“Oh, I had a question to ask you,” and he slid closer leaning against the wall, his banjo dangling from it’s neck strap. He tilted his head and gave a wide grin, showing his grey teeth.  
“Hey, you!” There was a sudden shout from behind them. Kenny turned around to see the security guard had arrived on the scene. “There’s no playing instruments in the halls! We’re breaking this potential mosh pit up! You come here!”  
“Aw, shit, Tweek, Craig!” And they looked at him, and Craig was the one to think on his feet.  
He got up and shouted, “Fight!” And punched the nearest person he could. In a minutes notice, a chair had been thrown down the stairs, hit no one, and a massive rumble broke out along the stairs. Kenny Craig and Tweek snuck out, Kenny pulling Kyle along by the hand while the security guard prioritized the fight.  
“Sorry, another time, then,” Kenny promised. “I’ll call you! Better, I’ll be back by the time school’s out. See you later!” And the three of them were off. Kyle looked back at the brawl, and then to Kenny, and went on to his math class.  
Kyle was waiting outside of the school. Kenny had been his ride home for quite some time. He guessed he must have forgotten after he ditched school. Now, Kyle was sitting outside, having missed the buses. He looked at his watch and let out a sigh. Fifteen minutes had passed. He thought of what he could do. Was the football team practicing? No, game tonight. Why would he even think that as an option? He had decided by now to stop going to the games. He turned back to the front doors and reentered his school. Walking through the empty halls, he reflected once again on his life. “Damn it, Kenny. Ditching and leaving me alone.  
Kenny drove into the front parking lot like a maniac, Craig and Tweek still with him. “Damn it, Damn it, damn it, McCormick, Why’d you have to ditch!?” He screamed at himself.  
“We all ditched cause of you, McCormick,” Craig reminded him, pointing an accusatory finger at him, “And we’d already been to half our fuckin classes. They know we ditched!”  
“Shut up, I don’t need this, I’ve got a lost child to go find and admit my feelings towards!” Kenny parked his car on the curb right in front of the doors and fell out of the driver’s seat onto the ground. He stumbled to his feet, and his two passengers quickly followed, struggling to maintain their composure.  
“I’ve never been so stressed or active while high.” Tweek mentioned to Craig. “I am done running.” Kenny tried to jump onto his hood so he could slide across, but bounced right off and got his new jacket caught on a bit of exposed car rust, tearing at it.  
He stood back up and saw the hole, screaming out, “Aw, cuckold bastard!” Kyle’s gonna be pissed. This piece o’ shit!” He screamed at his car, and made his way around to the other side, running towards the door.  
Tweek shouted out, “Kenny, Kenny you’re bleeding!” Pointing to where Kenny had just impaled his arms.  
“Fight through the pain, Tweek!” And he put his non bleeding arm to the air in a fist, “Fight through the pain!” And grabbed the door with his now bad arm, moaning as he opened the door, grabbing at his arm as he pushed the weight of his body against the open door slinking into the door. “C’mon, guys, we gotta hurry.”  
“We’re done running for the day, man.” Craig told him.  
“I’ll come back for you guys, then!” He promised, and continued on into the school.  
Kyle looked down at the football field longingly. Football was honestly one of Kyle’s favourite things. Though it had been Stan who got him into it, his love grew beyond that. And his pride in his high school team was real. He had a lot of friend other than Stan on the team. Clyde, David, Token. But Stan was now keeping him from it the same way he had brought him into it. He let out one more sigh as he stared longingly down at the field. “Kyyyyle!” He heard from off in the distance. Kyle looked about, before turning around and seeing his caller, stumbling towards him, one arm dangling down, waving with his other, “Kyyyyyle,” He called again, throwing a peace sign high into the air and giving a smile, falling down to his knees and looking up at the air.  
“Oh my god,” Kyle cried out, and ran over to Kenny. He took hold of him and looked down into his eyes. “Kenny, are you alright!?”  
“Yeah, yeah, a little bit of tetanus never hurt anybody. Kyle, I gotta tell you something.”  
“Kenny, whatever it is, I think it can wait. Were you in an accident? your speech is slurred, and you’re bleeding pretty badly from your arm.”  
“No, the arm is whatever, and the speech is the pot. I’m pretty fucking tired right now. I’m gonna take a nap after I get you home, but first, I gotta tell you, you are my best friend in the whole world. And I just gotta say, loving you has been the hardest time of my life.”  
“Wait, what? Kenny, we should get you medical assistance.”  
“No, I don’t want them to know I’ve been doing pot, you could get blacklisted for jobs if they knew that. But honestly, I’m fine.”  
Craig and Tweek walked out from the school and saw the two of them. “Op, yup, there they are.” they walked over and stared down at Craig. “How’s the thing going, McCormick?” Craig asked him.  
“Just give me a minute, I’ve been thinking about this for while. Did you bring the banjo?”  
“Of course not, I’m not gonna have you playing a banjo out here.”  
“What the hell is going on?” Kyle asked them.  
“We smoked a lot of pot, like, three hours ago. We’re at an in between stage of it right now.” Tweek explained.  
“He said something about tetanus!?”  
“Oh, he’s just being dramatic. He hurt himself jumping directly into his car like a dumbass.” Craig explained.  
“Did he stab himself on rusted metal? Because then he might actually have tetanus.”   
“Nah, he’ll be fine. Kenny, do the thing so we can go back to the Misfits.”  
“Who are the Misfits!?”  
“Punk band from the nineties. Duh?”  
“Craig, I swear to god right now.”  
“Nevermind them.” Kenny stood up, and dusted himself off. Kyle stood up and grabbed Kenny.  
“Are you sure you’re alright.”  
“Kyle. I’m sorry I’m late. Now, I’m going to try to be as clear as I can right now. Pontificate, some would say.”  
“I’d say,” said Craig crossing his arms at Kenny’s lack of understanding at the word pontificate.  
“Kyle,” He grabbed his hand in his one good one, “I need you to know that I want to be with you. For all the happiness you’ve brought me, I want to bring it back onto you, twice over” He stood there, smiling at Kyle, wearing his New Years 2010 sunglasses, smiling at Kyle from within his hood. Kyle stared back into his eyes for a moment, and then gave a big grin, and took his hand out of Kenny’s and giggled. He started walking away from him, his laugh growing in intensity, before he was holding his stomach from all the laughing. “Kyle,” Kenny walked over to him as he fell to the ground, “Kyle I’m being serious.” Kyle stood to his feet with his back to Kenny, still giggling, but getting it slowly under control. “Kyle?” Kenny asked once again.  
“This is only figurable. I’d like to believe you, Kenny.” Kyle turned around, and with a big smile and tears streaming down his cheeks. “But what makes you think I’m the one?”


	6. What Makes You Think You're the One?

“Kyle?” Kenny walked closer to his friend as he giggled uncontrollably. “Are you okay? You’re crying.” He tried to put a hand to him to help calm him, but he turned away and wiped his face clean on his sleeve.  
“I’m fine. Just laughing too hard. This all seems so figurable.”  
Tweek and Craig looked to one another and then over to Kenny. “Hey,” Tweek started, “Maybe we should just… Go wait by the car?”  
“Yeah. Give us a minute, here.” Kyle told them. They looked to one another once more and then started walking away. Kenny watched as they went and turned back to Kyle. “So… I’m sorry to say this, but you chose the wrong person, Kenny.” He said with a giggle.  
“Kyle, what’s wrong? I’ve… I’m sorry for being so forward, but I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a long time. And it seemed like there was no reason not to. I honestly do very much care about you.”  
“I bet you do. Hell, I’d love to believe you, but you would not want to be with me. That will honestly be the worst decision of your life. Kenny, you're so open with everything in your life. You’ve been there for me before, but if this is how you feel, then I recommend you just stay away from me for your own good.”  
Kenny raised his hand to the air and started slowly moving towards Kyle, calling out his name, “Kyle… What the hell are you talking about? I’m your… I’ve been so close with you, for years. I know everything about you. And It’s all only ever made me love you more.” He smiled at him. A smile filled with warmth and comfort, that drew Kyle in. But Kyle pushed it away. Kyle felt so dirty for this. He was at first in shock, but now, he was fully aware that Kenny was saying this with meaning. It was painful, but he saw it. It slowly began to frame their time together over the years. All the memories of how he’d been there, how he’d been the one comforting him. He felt like utter shit. And now, he was going to yelling at him, chasing him off like a dog. What an ultimate end. Kyle backed away.  
“Please. I can’t have you touching me right now.” He crossed his arms and stared down at the ground. “Kenny.” Kyle was no longer laughing this off. He spoke, solemnly and assuredly. “You think you know me, but I have done things I couldn’t bare to let you know. And I’ll just end up hurting you. Like I’ll end up hurting everyone around me.”  
“What makes you think you're the one with all the deep dark secrets here, eh?” Kenny said with a giggle and a shrug of the shoulder. Kyle moved his arms, putting one to his forehead and covering his eyes, the other below his nose, hiding his mouth. “Kyle, anything you think you’ve done to hurt others, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. Kyle, you are an incredibly caring person. It’s not like you’ve gone out of your way to hurt anyone. And look at me? Do you think I would have been able to come this far in life without a friend like you?” Kenny precariously slid one foot closer. “I want to hear what you think is so bad? Just try me on for size.” Kyle continued to keep himself closed off from Kenny. “Kyle… Everything that’s been done has been done. Everything you’ve done… There’s no changing it. But you can’t dwell on those kind of things. Look at me.” He gestured back at himself, sliding his back foot forward to his first discreetly. “I’m one of the biggest pieces of shit in this town. A druggie, a whore, and the worst influence there could be.”  
“What I’ve done isn’t in the past, Kenny. I haven’t stopped. And I’m gonna keep doing it. And when I do it again, you’ll be the next person to be hurt by this all. I’m the monster in this. I know it.” Kyle slid his hands across his face, dragging them through his hair. He felt the tears he had started shedding again being brushed over his face. He closed his eyes tightly. He dropped his head down as he squeezed his eyes closed. “SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”  
Kyle let himself go. He let go the weight of his body, and began to fall down to his knees. But he was stopped, and the weight of his body was now being supported. He opened his eyes, and Kenny was holding him up. “If you want me to leave, I will. But If you have to talk to someone… If you feel like there’s no one there for you... I’ll be there. Because I care about you. More than anyone. And I’ve known that for a long time. And I just wanted you to know. So please. I’ll be there for you, if you come calling.”  
Kyle pressed his face into Kenny’s shoulder, and slipped his arms out from underneath his weight, wrapping them around his neck. “I’be shurry phor yillin ah you.” He mumbled into his shoulder.  
“What did you say.” Kenny said with a giggle.  
Kyle moved his head off of Kenny’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes. He was now bawling, his face engulfed with the sadness he was letting out. “I’m sorry for yelling at you!” He cried into Kenny’s face. Kenny gave a crooked smirk that kept widening and he pressed his forehead to Kyle’s as he giggled in his face ever so blissfully. The sadness in Kyle’s face gave way to a tiny smile amidst the tears. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Kenny’s, who couldn’t properly kiss him back because he was smiling too much. He eventually pushed back against Kyle’s face, kissing him with the full force he’d been wanting to use in that moment for so long.


	7. Storms

In the last four weeks, Stan and Kyle had had sex four times. But when looked at in just the last two, the total number was but zero. Because of this, Stan was on pins and needles. He was confronting Wendy more and more. Stan was deeply confused about so many things in his life. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone. And now, he thought back to what Wendy had been asking him as of late. Was he really happy in his relationship? Or was it just that he wanted to be in a relationship. After Kyle had stopped returning his texts, Stan had no choice but to confront his relationship with Wendy head on.  
As long as Kyle was there, Stan always felt everything in his life was alright. He felt satisfied. He headed on the world with a brave smile. The problem wasn’t that he was unhappy with Wendy. He did meaningly care about Wendy. But she was so difficult. Stan had so many things in his life that were hard. His parents were getting a divorce. His sister was gone most of the time, he didn’t ever figure out where, and his father, who he felt responsible for, was out drinking every night. And then, Stan started slipping. He would drink with his dad, just to be with him. And then he started drinking just to drink. And then everyone around him was growing and changing. Kenny’s dad, Kyle’s dad, and now his. And then, Kenny started dating Butters, and wasn’t hanging out with them anymore. And then, Kyle came out to him. And then, Kyle came out to him, and he was scared. He was scared for a few stupid reasons. Was Kyle going to start dating someone and leave him too? Was he going to turn out to be gay? How could he look Wendy in the eye? The girl of his dreams? The girl he’d already lost once. If he was gay, she’d never be with him. Maybe he would date Kyle, and then he’d never lose his friend. But what about his dad? Would he respect him? Stan tried to prove himself to his father a lot. Prove he was a big man, who he could be proud of. And if he was gay, and he couldn’t earn the respect of a man… Who had failed in his marriage three times, how low was he? He needed his father to respect him. He needed that so that he knew he could become a better man. These were the thoughts that tortured Stan’s drunk middle school period. And then, he came into high school, wanting to make up for his last year. He tried to get back with Wendy after about six months. And they got back together. And he wasn’t happy. Then, a long while after that started, he wanted to patch things up with Kyle. He had moved so far away from him since he started drinking all the time. Kyle was one of the only people he ever drank around and knew about this whole situation, and he didn’t approve. So Stan separated himself from Kyle. And he missed him so much. So, he hoped patching things up would help him feel better. But, he made the mistake of doing this while drunk. He was drunk a lot back then. The two of them ended up moving things way too quickly. Stan fell asleep that night being held by Kyle, and woke up that same way, and it gave him a sense of security and happiness that he had so longed for.  
The next few months were just as torturous on Stan. He told Kyle so many things about how happy he had made him and how much he had missed him. And Kyle gave him those sympathies back, and he told him how he wanted to be with him. But then, there was the problem of Wendy. How was he supposed to admit to her he cheated on her? For a long time, he thought he should, but he didn’t want his relationship with her to end. He cared for her too much to hurt her like that, and their relationship was too important to him. Then, a big change came.  
Randy was cleaning up. He had his alcoholism under control.. After flaking about for a year, he had built himself back up, and had asked Sharon for one more chance. His parents were dating again. And his father was back in his life. Stan wasn’t exactly happy about all this, but he was putting it on that he was at least. Now, Stan was less sure than ever of what to do. Things in his life were slipping back towards how they were just a few years ago. And that was not something he wanted. He was just becoming happy again. And he didn’t want to loose that happiness.  
Stan continued dating Wendy, and sleeping with Kyle on the side. It was everything he wanted. While he was with both of them, he felt like there was nothing that could stop him. Not his terrible father, not school. He was satisfied. Guilt ate at him constantly, but he decided he could live with that after while. And now, here he was, two weeks without talking to Kyle, and his relationship with Wendy on the rocks, because of how totally disconnected he was becoming. Wendy tried to comfort him. She could see that he was slipping back into depression, but he didn’t want her help. Without Kyle there, he was facing up to his guilt. Had he hurt Kyle? He needed to talk with him.  
Stan was sitting alone in his room with his phone once again. He had a game tonight. It was coming up in about an hour. But he was too drunk to go. He had started drinking the moment he got home. His mom would eventually get home and see him like this. He didn’t really care about that, though. He had enough to worry about to think about how his mom would be disappointed in him, or what this might mean for his place as the quarterback. He thought when that time came, he’d just feign sickness. A lot of bottles were strewn across his room. He had started with the six pack in the fridge. His father had put it there just yesterday. As he popped the ca off the first, he whispered to himself, “Fuck him, anyway.” After those were done, he went to his personal liquor cabinet, a small gap in his closet where he hid his good booze from his mom. There were two bottles of Jack in there. His personal favourite for when he wanted to feel better. He had pulled out one and started chugging until he needed air. He had put quite the chip in it and had been lying around his room, waiting to sober up, and putting it off, whenever he thought about calling Kyle, taking another sip. He was going to go crazy in his room. He kept rubbing his eyes, clearing tears he couldn’t control.  
Wendy ringed Stan’s doorbell once again. There was no response. Wendy looked to Stan’s car in the driveway. “C’mon, Stan. I know you’re in there,” She whispered to herself. Wendy turned back to the door. She looked down at the door mat beneath her feet and stepped off, lifting it up and grabbing the key underneath. She looked at it and said to herself, “course it’s under the matt. This is the Marsh’s, everything is a cliche.” Wendy let herself in. She looked about the living room. The curtains were drawn and it was dark in the room. She moved on to the kitchen just for a quick look in. There were two empty beer bottles on the kitchen table. She looked at them and thought to herself, oh no, please let that be it. She moved over to the fridge opening it and looking for any of the other beers. There wasn’t a drink in the fridge. She closed it and looked up to where Stan’s room lied just above her. She made her way up over and up the stairs.  
Wendy stood in front of Stan’s door, preparing to give it a knock. She put her hand back down and put her ear to the door. She could hear music being played. She closed her eyes and gave a sigh. “Alright. Let’s make this easy.” She knocked on his door forcefully.  
There was a call back from the other side, “Who is it?”  
“Stan, it’s Wendy. I’m here for something important.” She looked down the hall.  
“Wendy,” He answered, but then paused. From the sounds, Wendy assumed he’d stood up off his bed, “Please, not now.”  
“No, Stan. I know what you’re doing in there right now. This is for your own good. I’m coming in there. Right now.”  
“No, please, go away.” He shouted. Wendy tried to push the door open, But Stan was sitting in front of it so she couldn’t get in.  
Wendy managed to pry it open ever so slightly and get a look into the room. “Oh, for god’s sake, Stan. I only want to help you right now. Please, just let me in.” She could see him sitting there slumped against the door wrapped in a blanket. She could see Jack Daniels sitting on his bedside table, almost half empty. “Oh my god, Stan.”  
“It’s alright. I’m fine.”  
“No Stan, you’re not. You're drunk, and you’ve barricaded yourself from the world, and are listening to…” She listened to the music coming from his phone on his bed, “The Doors. Stan, I can help you. I’ll get you some water, or a cup of coffee. You’re gonna be sick from all the beer and bourbon you drank.”  
“I don’t care. It sounds pretty good right about now.”  
“Stan… Please.” Wendy banged her head against the door and let out another sigh. Suddenly, the weight of Stan moved off the door, and the door swung open, catching her off guard and making her trip. She regained her balance and turned and watched as Stan clambered to his feet. She stood back up properly and stared at him. “Stanley?” He slowly turned around and failed to look at her properly. He started quickly stumbling over to her, and then just pushed right past her, and headed for his bathroom. The blanket he’d wrapped himself in started falling off of him as he went, and got caught in the bathroom door when he tried to slam it shut. Wendy quickly followed him into the bathroom, where he was throwing up into the toilet. Without the blanket covering him, he was in nothing but his underwear. Wendy put a hand to her temple, and walked over to him. “Oh my god, Stan.” She said with an amount of disappointment. She took a moment to crouch down behind him and started rubbing his back. “I’m here Stan. I’ll be here for you one more time.”  
Wendy went about, picking up all the beer bottles and grabbing the bourbon. She went into her closet and fished around, searching for his stash of emergency booze. She pulled out the other bourbon bottle and tossed it in the bag, closing it up. She tossed all of it in the back of Stan’s car, and went back up to check on Stan. He was sitting next to the toilet bowl in a fetal position. She walked over, not looking down at the bowl and flushing away the vomit. She then took Stan by the hand and guided him back to his room. He was fighting her a lot, but in the end, she got him dressed and headed him down to his car.  
“Where are we going?” He asked her at one point in the car.  
“I don’t want your mom to see you like this. I’m going to take you over to my place and sober you up.” She buckled herself into the driver’s seat and made sure Stan was locked in. “Alright. I’m almost legal, and I’ve been practicing. I’ve got this.” Wendy comforted herself, adjusting the rearview mirror. “Alright, alright, idiot police force, don’t be effective, now.”  
Wendy made it back to her place without an incident. She grabbed the booze, and Stan and snuck them both into her house, where she put the empty bottles in the outside trashcan and Stan in the shower to wash off the smell of booze radiating off of him. She sat at the kitchen counter with the two bourbon bottles. She decided to screw it, and poured herself a small glass from the already open one, which she downed in an instant. She recapped the bottle, and brought both of them u to her room, where she hid them from both her parents and Stan. Stan came out into her room buck naked and rubbing himself effectively with a towel, trudging water onto her carpet. “Oh my god, Stan.” She walked over to him and gave him a sniff. “You don’t smell any better, Did you even use soap?”  
“No.”  
“Oh my god, kay, back in.”  
After about two hours, Stan was feeling better. He sat at Wendy’s Kitchen counter in silence across from Wendy. He didn’t want to look her in the eye at the moment. Wendy took in a deep breath, and let out, “Stan… We need to talk.”  
Stan wiped his nose, “What do you want to talk about?”  
Wendy gave a scoff. “Stan, you’ve been disconnecting yourself from everyone lately. And now you barely even talk to me. I’m worried about you.”  
Stan looked down. There was a cup of coffee in his hands. Wendy had brewed a pot for him. “There’s nothing to be worried about.” he told her.  
“Stan… Look. I want to be there for you. But… But this is the end.”  
Stan looked down into his cup of coffee, were he was vaguely silhouetted by the contents. He looked up at her, “What do you mean, ‘the end?’”  
“Of us.” She cocked her head at him. He saw her furrowed brow, the sad and tired look on her face. She closed her eyes and rubbed her thumb along the bridge of her nose in a small circle. She put her hand back down, and returned her gaze to him. “I can’t do this anymore, Stan. I can’t keep being with you if you’re just going to keep… Drinking, and ignoring me, and acting like a child I have to take care of. This isn’t the first time this has happened. And I know it’s been a while-’  
“It’s been, like, a year, at least!” He clarified, insulted.  
Wendy raised an index finger, “Yes, I know, but it’s not going to top. I know it won’t. And Stan… I feel so locked into this relationship. I don’t even know if you want to be in this relationship. Be with me. You seem like you just don’t care about me.”  
Stan stood up, “I do, though! I do honestly care about you!” He yelled. He was getting scared.   
“Then maybe you should have showed it. You can say it all you want, but it doesn’t make me believe you. You have always been disconnected.” She stood up as well, “Stan, I know that I love you. But this relationship is not working.” He lowered his head. Wendy made her way around the table to him. “And I’ll still be your friend, and I’ll still help you. I want to be there for you, but you’re just… It feels like you’re not there for ME. And if you aren’t going to participate in our relationship, then this is just for the best.”  
Stan looked down into his coffee. He could see a lot of his body inside the muggy cup from where he was standing over it. He put his hands on the table to steady himself. He sat back down. “I… I gotta go,” He said, and he stood back up quickly.   
“Stan, wait. You still shouldn’t be driving right now.” She warned him, running after him as he made his way towards the door.  
“No, no, I can’t be here right now. I need to go.”  
“Stan, please, you’re not safe enough to drive! I don’t want you getting hurt, or something worse.”  
“DO YOU!” He turned back to her angrily. He realized how he’d snapped, and had to get himself out of there before he said anything else. “I’m sorry. I’m leaving.”  
“Wendy stood there, hand still outreached to stop him a he left. She slowly lowered her hand back down to her side, before shaking her head and running to the door. Stan was already in his car and backing out as fast as he could. “Stan!” She shouted. He slipped onto the road and drove off like a gun. She watched as he faded out of view, and then slowly closed the door. She looked around her empty living room, and then made her way up to her room. She looked around her room, then, and made her way over to her makeup drawer. She opened it and lifted up a panel in the bottom which hid both bottles. She grabbed the half drunken bottle of bourbon, turning it over and over to look at all it’s sides, and then just stared at the liquid inside. She walked over to her window, opening it and pouring it all out.


	8. That's All for Everyone

Clyde and Wendy were sitting together at lunch. “I’m sorry about you and Stan, Wendy,” Clyde sympathized with her. It was the day after she split it off with him, and she hadn’t told anyone until she got to lunch and saw Clyde, and decided she needed to tell someone. She didn’t know why she chose Clyde, but he was a nice enough guy and supportive of most people. And he was giving her the support she needed at the moment, so she was happy she had. He sat across from her at an empty table away from everyone else. “I’m not the best with break ups,” He admitted, “But I’ve been through enough to know how hard this must be for you. You don’t have to worry about Stan. I’ll take care of him. But if there’s anything I can do for you, I wanna be there to help you. You need someone to talk to, i can be there.”  
“Thanks, Clyde. That’s nice of you to offer, but I just needed to tell someone right now. I’ll be better sooner or later, it’s just been a nerve racking day.” Wendy fiddled at the tray of food in front of her with her fork. Clyde leaned back.  
“If you, uh, want to be alone right now, I could go?” He offered to her, pointing off to the right.  
Wendy raised her eyebrows up at him, and smiled, “Yeah. You’re free to go, Clyde,” She told him.  
“Kay. I’ll see you in gym tomorrow.” He got up and started walking away, before turning around and pointing at her. “Anything you need, man. Woman. Friend, honorific. I googled what that was yesterday cause I forgot.” He grave a shrug, “I’m rambling, we’ll talk, we’ll get lunch, we just had lunch, we don’t talk a lot so I don’t know what level of weird I should be around,” He was shouting over the lunch room, Wendy watched him go with a smile, “I’m just gonna keep going, I’m just,” He backed his way across the room to the side doors leading out of the cafeteria to the student parking lot, “I’m, I’ll just, see ya!” He pushed the door open with his leg and walked right out of the building. A lot of the cafeteria watched him go as he kept backing up and waving in front of the glass lining half of the cafeteria before he exited view. Wendy had started laughing by when he was outside.   
Lunch came to an end, and Clyde was getting hassled at the front door for having exited the building. “C’mon, Mr. Dubois, you know I wasn’t ditching. If I was, I wouldn’t’ve come at all. So just let me back in.”  
“How intelligent of you, Mr. Donovan,” Mr. Dubois told him sarcastically. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to go to the office. You know the rules.”  
“Well, I’ve gotta say, it’s a stupid rule.”  
“I suggest holding your tongue, then.” Clyde backed up from him sticking out his tongue and pinching it between his thumb and forefinger, throwing his free hand up into the air, and kicking up his opposite leg, bending back and smiling at his teacher. “Just go to the office, Mr. Donovan.”  
“Alright, alright.” He said with a giggle and a smile. Clyde pulled his headphones out and put them in. He looked around and then pulled out his phone, looking down at his phone as he carefully examined his Spotify albums. As Clyde put it, he was just discovering music. It was Tame Impala that he considered the first band he truly loved. He listened to their album, Currents, every day for about a month before letting out a gasp to discover they had others. Lonerism, and then Gorillaz Demon Days. He remembered Token really liking that album, so he added it to his list. He loved both those, too, and then he started listening to Plastic Beach, and realized it was his favourite album, which he quickly had to tell Token. He liked Innerspeaker well enough, but as he told Token, Currents and Plastic Beach were still his two favourite albums.  
Token would ask him, “You know there’s other music out there, right?”  
“What do you mean?” Clyde would ask him.  
“I mean, there’s a lot of music out there. Maybe you should listen to, I don’t know, just based on you liking Gorillaz so much, Blur? Or maybe Radiohead, or Muse. Maybe Pink Floyd.”  
“I don’t know what any of those bands are.”  
“What? Have you just never listened to music?”  
“Well, yeah, I’ve listened to music. I listen to it a lot with Bebe, or in the car. But I’m not a fan of that kinda music.”  
“Oh my god, why have you never looked into this before?” Clyde searched out some of his recommendations. He tried Pink Floyd first, and that was an amazing new experience for him. He looked for similar bands, and started discovering more and more bands. He was listening to adding a new band and a bunch of albums to his list all the time. Sometimes he’d just listen to singular songs off of albums that he’d really like and keep the albums saved until the day he would be ready to listen to the whole thing. On this day, he had a yearning to listen to American Girl. He typed in Tom petty, and clicked on the first song that came up under him and the Heartbreakers. He put his phone back in his pocket and started dancing down the hall.  
Craig and Bebe were in music class when they saw Clyde in the window dancing. Craig let out a sigh, “Jesus fuckin christ, why is he my best friend?” And went back to his double bass.  
Bebe saw him and cover her face with one hand, lowering her head. “You’re a lucky lady,” Craig told her in a sarcastic tone.  
“No I’m not.” She whispered to herself.  
Clyde continued along his way to the principal’s office. Along his way, he passed by Token and Butters sitting in the hall together at a round table. He got a big smile on his face, and stopped to pull out his headphones, “Goood afternoon, friends,” He told them. Token and Butters both stared at him with sad looks. He looked from one to the other, “Am I interrupting something?”  
Token gave a sigh, “Yeah, um… We were talking right now. Do you think you could give us some privacy?” Token asked him.  
Clyde smile went away. “Oh… Uh, sorry, guys. Token, I’ll, uh, see you later. Do you still wanna hang with me and Craig, later?”  
“Yeah. Course. I’ll see you then, but we just need a minute, here.”  
Clyde walked past them, “Right. Sure, I’ll see you both later.” Clyde made his way down the hall. Token watched him until he was a fair distance away from him. Then he turned back to Butters.  
“So. Is this really it?” Token asked Butters.  
Butters looked down at his hands, which he kept lightly tapping the knuckles of together in his lap. “I’m awful sorry, Token. I think this is just for the best.”  
Token stood up and rubbed his mouth over with his hand. “I understand, Butters. If you ever need anything, I’m still here for you. You know that, right?” He walked over to Butters and sat next to him rubbing his back facing away from him.  
“Yeah. I know. I’m awful grateful for all the support. I’m sorry about… I’m sorry for being like this.”  
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for, Butters. None of this is your fault.” Butters wrapped himself around Token’s arm, holding onto it tightly.  
“Yes it is.”  
Token looked at Butters, his eyes welling up with tears. “Butters, I wanna say, I’m sorry for getting your name wrong all this time.”  
Butters turned to him staring out the windows behind them. “W-what do you mean?”  
“What is your real name, Butters?” He asked without turning to face him.  
“L-Leopold?” He told him confused.  
Token turned to face him with a quizzical furrowed brow. “No, Butters. I mean your NEW name?” He said in clarification.  
“I... “ Butters turned back away from him. “I don’t know… I was thinking… Marjorine. Marjorine sounded pretty to me.”  
“Alright, then, Marjorine. I’ll make sure to say it right from now on.” Token could feel the tears against his arm and Butters start loudly sucking in air.  
“Th-thank you, Token. I’m-hick-I’m lucky to have a-a friend like you.”  
“Course, friend.”  
Clyde danced up to the office door, pulling his phone back out and stopping the song right before the end. He put his hand to the door and started tapping back to his home page, and started going through his list of albums, stopping to look at one and then keep scrolling. The door opened into his face, sending him tripping back. David walked out in front of him. Clyde stood up straight and saw him coming out and cocked his head at him, “David? What are you doing in trouble?”  
“I can get in trouble. I’m not some goody two shoes.” He defended himself.  
Clyde gave a chuckle, “The phrase goody two shoes suggests differently,” He mocked him. “Seriously, though, what happened?”  
“The fight two weeks ago. They’re just now getting everyone involved.”  
“There was a fight?”  
“Yeah.” He said defensively. “Like, half the school was involved? How’d you miss that?”  
“Dude, if half the school was involved in a fight, there wouldn’t be a school left standing. I feel like you’re trying to blow whatever happened out of proportions,” he said with a chuckle.  
“Clyde, it was huge. Someone threw a chair.”  
“All that means is that there was an actual fight. I’d hope there was a chair thrown, or else why even call it a fight. And besides, I’ve seen three chairs thrown already this year.”  
“Whatever. I’ll see you later.”  
“Course. Stay beautiful,” he called to David as he slipped by him into the office. David walked away and Clyde watched saying once more to himself, “Stay beautiful,” And watched him go for a minute. “God damn. Anyway,” He entered into the office. He walked up to the secretary, “Appointment with the principal.”  
“What about,” She asked with disregard for his presence, going about her business. Clyde pulled out the slip and held it up to the woman. She snatched it out of his hands and took a quick glance at the parchment and then reached towards the slip booklet on her table, pulling one out and writing on it without looking down at it. She ripped off the paper and handed it to him. It told him he had a detention after school. She waved him off with her hand, “Go.”  
“Hm, quick,” He said with a smile and walked back out of the office. “Something about that didn’t feel like proper procedure. Anyway,” Clyde returned to selecting his music, moving along without looking where he was going. He gave a quick glance up as he turned a corner and then returned to his phone, settling upon A.D.H.D., what he called Tweek’s song. Then, he bumped into someone. He quickly looked up to see who it was to see that classes had switched since had been sent to the office, and now a maelstrom of students were heading in the opposite direction of him. He tried to fight his way forward before getting pushed back to the doorway to the stairs. He pressed himself against the wall, trying staring at the people passing in front of him with surprise. He turned to his right and saw Wendy sanding outside of a classes door. Clyde turned back forward and then started sliding along the wall over to Wendy.  
Clyde sidled his way next to Wendy and then turned to face her, “Hey, Wendy, sorry, just passing on through he-” He stopped and saw Heidi Turner standing in front of him. “Heidi? What happened?” He asked. Heidi had the slightly faded mark of a black eye poorly covered up with make up.  
“Clyde, could you please maybe just keep walking? I need to talk with Heidi alone right now.” Wendy asked him.  
“Uh… Y-yeah, sure… I’ll… I’ll see you guys later.” Clyde continued on his way, saying to himself, “What is going on?’  
“Sorry. Should we go in and talk?” Wendy asked her.  
“Yes. Please.” Heidi said, hiding her face. The two of them went into the dark room they stood in front of, closing the door behind them. Heidi sat down at an empty desk. Wendy pulled up a chair and sat across from her. Heidi looked up at her, removing the scarf she was wearing. “I broke up with him about a week ago. I took two days off as sick days.”  
“He did this?” Wendy asked, appalled. “I am going to kill him.”  
“No, please. He… He didn’t mean it. It was just the heat of the moment. He… He was just really angry at the time.”  
“He’s always angry, and there’s no justifying hitting you.” Wendy listed off as a counter argument. “He should pay.”  
“Wendy, I don’t want him to pay. I just… I don’t want anything to do with him. It’s not why I wanted to talk with you. I came to you because…” She slid her hands over to Wendy. “I really need someone right now.”  
Wendy looked down at her hands and clasped them with her own. “Alright. I got it. I’m here.” Heidi looked up into her eyes, and Wendy gave her a small smile.  
Clyde made his way to his Chemistry class, where he sat down in his usual spot. He sat there headphones in, eyes closed, leaned back in his chair. He sat in silence, not paying attention to those going by in front of him. Then, his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he was dragged back to reality, as he opened his eyes and searched the room while fishing through his pocket for his phone. He saw Cartman was sitting to his right and gave him a hey Cartman, with a wave. He heard him say talking, but couldn’t listen with his headphones in. He turned to his phone at his side and saw he’d received a new text.  
He was about to open his phone when his earbud was pulled out of his ear, “Bad!” Was yelled in his ear.  
He covered his ear and turned to the boy at his side, “What the hell, Cartman?”  
“I said I’m bad!”  
“I didn’t ask!”  
“Good, because I’m not telling you why!”  
“That’s fine with me.” Clyde turned back to his phone and unlocked it, looking at his new message. It was from Bebe, saying ‘we need to talk.’  
“I broke up with Heidi. I don’t know if you heard.” Cartman told Clyde with a tone of reluctance, as though Clyde had forced it out of him.  
Clyde gave a snicker as he started typing out his response to Bebe, “Like you’d ever break up with someone willing to date y-” Clyde turned up from his phone and thought about earlier, “Is that why Heidi had a black eye?”  
“Eh?” Cartman said, confused.  
Clyde turned to Cartman, “Did you hit Heidi Turner in the face because she broke up with you?” He asked, disbelieving.  
Cartman glanced away from him, “No…”  
“Cartman,don’t lie to me in this situation, I need to know if you hit her.”  
“Okay, I might have accidentally hit her. I was upset at the time. So what? Like you’ve never hit someone before.” Clyde turned away from him, stood up, and reeled back his fist, jabbing Cartman right in the stomach. Cartman wheeled back in his chair, covering up his fat belly. “You piss of shit, Clyde!” He screamed at him. He fell out of his chair to the floor.   
“You’re a piss of shit, Cartman,” Clyde corrected him, pointing to him angrily as he crawled around the floor.  
“Aw, fuck, man, oh god, I think I’m gonna hurl.”  
“What in god are you two doing!?” The teacher yelled at him.  
Clyde looked at the teacher, panting out his rage, He looked to the class, which was already i session, and said, “Defending justice?”  
“Principal’s office, both of you.”  
The two of them sat in the principal’s office together. Clyde looked at Cartman, poutily turned away from him. He thought to himself, gonna have a fun football practice tomorrow. Then, he remembered how he never finished his text to Bebe. He pulled his phone back out, and put his headphones back in. He first chose a new song to listen to, and then opened his messages. ‘We need to talk,’ He read again. ‘Okay, when should we talk?’ He wrote back, and put his phone back in his pocket.  
A moment later, he buzzed again. He pulled his phone back out and checked it again. ‘Come to my house right after school gets out.’ He shot back, ‘Can’t, got detention. Multiple, now, probably.’ He put it away once more, and then another buzz, ‘then just five minutes before school ends. YOu know where I’ll be.’ ‘Kay, see ya soon, then.’ And an emoji of sticking his tongue out.  
Clyde found himself waiting in front of the doors to the student parking lot for Bebe. He’d left class a little early so no one would be getting in his way and it would be easier to catch Bebe. He was listening to Rolling Stones, Jumping Jack Flash, tapping his foot and bobbing his head with the beat as he leaned against the wall just next to the doors, expecting her arrival to be at any minute. He started singing along with the song, “I’m Jumpin’ Jack Flash, It’s a gas-gas-gas!” Looking up and down the hall for her.  
Bebe eventually turned the corner just before the bell was going to be ringing. Clyde got a big smile on his face as he pushed off the wall and walked over to her. “Hey, Bebe,” He said as he walked up to her and put his arms around her waist. Bebe didn’t look him in the eye.   
“Clyde I want to make this quick. I think it’s time for us to start seeing other people.”  
Clyde big smile was halted momentarily. “What do you mean?”  
“Clyde, how long have we been doing this?”  
Clyde gave a gulp, “I don’t know. A couple of years?”  
“We started dating when we were kids, Clyde. And we kept going off and on for so long. I don’t think we should be going on like this.” She looked at him. “We’re not kids anymore, Clyde. We’ve got to move on.”  
Clyde took his hands off of her and backed up. “So… So you want to end this? For good?”  
“...Yes. I think it’ll be best for both of us.” Clyde looked down, his face stuck in shock. “But we can still be friends, of course,” Bebe quickly told him to make him feel better.  
“Right.” Clyde gave a sniffle and wiped his nose with his nose with his thumb. “Right, course.” He looked up and tried to give a fake smile, “Friends. It’s, it’s what’s for the best. Right?”  
“Right,” Bebe told him, holding her hands behind her back. She looked around the empty hall, and then down at the floor. She saw it was empty and she walked up to him and gave him a final hug. “Thanks for being so understanding, Clyde.” Clyde looked down at the top of her head, and then stared off above her, and gave her a pat on the head. She let him go, and with one final look, waved goodbye and walked past him. “I’ll see you around Clyde.”  
The final school bell rang, and people started flooding into the hall, all of them pushing past Clyde as he stood there motionless until the hall was once again completely empty. He broke his statuesque standing, looking around to see the school was empty, and then quickly gave another sniff and wiped his nose again. His put his hands on his hips, and looked up at the ceiling letting out a hhaaaaahhhh noise.  
He looked back in front of him, and told himself, “Okay. It’s okay, let’s… Let’s get a move on.” He put his headphones back in and kept going along his way.  
Craig was at Tweek’s house as he was filling his parent’s car with stuff he was going to need. Tweek had a habit of over packing. “I’ll text you every night while you’re away.” Craig told him. “Remind you to eat, sleep, take your testosterone. All the important stuff.”  
“Right, and I’ll keep testing you reminding you not to punch people in the face.” Tweek joked as he tossed his bags in the back. “Since you need to be constantly reminded.”  
“You know how hard it can be when people are annoying.”  
“Jesus, Craig.” Tweek looked around the back of his family’s minivan. “Alright, I think that’s everything.” he said with confidence.  
“You sure you’ll be fine on your own for two weeks?”  
“Craig, I told you, I’ve been doing way better lately. You don’t need to worry so much.” He wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled his head down to his level so he could give him a kiss.  
“Woah, careful, you’re gonna break my neck like that,” Craig joked.  
“Sorry,” Tweek giggled, letting him go, “So, have fun with Clyde and Token tonight.”  
“”I can only hope I will.”  
“Ready to go, you two?” Mr. Tweek called out to them from the door to their house.  
“Dad, Craig’s not coming, we’ve been over this. He can’t afford to be missing school, since that’s the most important thing?” Tweek told him in a passive aggressive manner.  
“Right, right. Shame you’ll be in that big room alone.” Mr. Tweak told them.  
“You’re dad’s a real asshole, you know?” Craig informed Tweek.  
“Yeah, I’m aware.” Tweek turned up to Craig, “Text me if anything big happens, right? Keep me informed.”  
“Course. I’ll see you soon enough.” And they kissed once more just before all the Tweaks piled into their cramped car to head off to a coffee bean salesmen convention for two long weeks. Tweek was sitting in back, headphones in, trying to block out his parents, about an hour into the drive when he got a text. He looked down at his phone and saw it was from Craig. It read, ‘Something big happened.’ Tweek texted back, ‘It’s only been an hour, tough?’ Craig texted back five minutes later, ‘Bebe broke up with Clyde.’ Tweek gave a gasp, ‘oh god, is he doing alright?’ About two minutes later, ‘Yeah, he’s sitting in my house crying. Token’s here, too.’ Then about thirty seconds later, ‘he and Butters broke up.’ Tweek looked round the small space for what the hell was going on back in town, ‘What!? We’re still experiencing time at the same rate, right? It’s still only been an hour since I left right? This is so terrible, oh my god.’ He got a Craig sent another text about five minutes later, ‘do you think I should maybe pretend that we broke up so I can sympathize with them better?’ Tweek lowered his phone upon reading the text and took a minute to stare out the open window, baffled. ‘No!’ He sent back. ‘Kay, got it,’ Craig sent back. Tweek looked out the window, again. “Like, what the hell?”


	9. Not That Funny

It was the day after Bebe had broken up with Clyde, and at the moment, he was home alone, texting Craig about it. ‘I just don’t know what I should be doing with myself,’ he told him. ‘Dude, it’s probably better just to not think about it. I’m kinda busy at the moment, talk later.’ He told him back. ‘C’mon, dude, I need someone in my corner right now,’ He shot back with a sad face. ‘I’m always in your corner. And I’m still there right now. It just happens that I have other shit I’ve gotta take care of. Don’t be an asshole.’ ‘You’re calling me an asshole, my girlfriend just broke up with me!’ He texted angrily. ‘I know, and I was there for you all yesterday. Why not text Token about this? Or Jimmy? Or Kevin? Or literally anyone else who’s not busy at the moment?’ ‘Okay, well, I already tried Token, he doesn’t want to talk, and Jimmy is busy. He and TImmy are off doing something.’ Clyde waited for a response. It took about ten minutes of him pacing about his house moping before he got one, reading ‘Jimmy and Token are busy and don’t want to talk, as in the same thing I just told you, but, yet, you keep texting me?’ ‘Yeah, because you keep texting back. That’s why you’re my best friend, because you’ll always respond to my texts.  
After about a half an hour with no text back from Craig, while watching videos on YouTube on his phone waiting for his response, Clyde realized he kind of told him if he stopped texting him back, he wouldn’t have to talk. “God damn it, Craig.” Clyde texted Craig again, ‘CRAIG, TEXT BACK NOW, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!’ He received a text after three minutes, ‘what happened?’ Clyde got pouty, ‘I say it’s an emergency and you take three minutes to text back?’ ‘God fucking damn it, Clyde, I. HAVE. A. JOB. I’m taking care of Tweek’s bird and his business while he’s away, remember?’  
Clyde looked up from his phone, and counted some numbers and plotted some points in his head. ‘Are you at Tweak Bros Right now?’ After five minutes, he texted back, ‘...Yes, Clyde, I’m at Tweak Bros. Do me a favour and stay away.’ Clyde locked his phone and stared out his window, thinking of better ways to spend his time than going and bothering Clyde while working for his boyfriend. He turned his phone back on, ‘I’m sorry, There’s just nothing better to do. It’s either that, or let the sadness of Bebe breaking up with me crush me.’   
Craig leaned at the counter of Tweak Bros coffee shop. The whole place was dark and empty filled with the sound of music blasting out of the speakers, Kendrick Lamar, “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”. Then, the Craig’s phone started buzzing and filled the room with light shining up towards the ceiling. Craig gave a yawn, moving his arm from supporting his head to covering his mouth, despite the lack of anyone in the room who might catch his yawn. The light of his phone turned back off, and Craig then glanced over to his phone. He slowly stretched his arm out, moving it over his phone, and then plopping it down on top of it, grabbing it with the tips of his fingers and flipping it over inattentively. He then clutched it and lifted it up, pulling the phone over to him, and once it was in front of his face, finally pressing the lock button. The phone lit up, and he saw Clyde had texted him, again. He let out a sigh, unlocking his phone with a swipe and slowly typing in his password with his thumb. He opened up the message and glanced over it once before actually starting to read it. He mumbled to himself, “... The sadness of Bebe breaking up with me, yeah, okay, god damn it.” He slowly typed out with his thumb letter by letter, ‘please, I’m running this place all by myself, I don’t have time for,’ There was a pounding at the door. Craig looked up and Clyde was standing there “The fuck.”  
Clyde let himself in, “I thought you said you were busy?” He asked.  
“I am. Can’t you see I’m trying to keep this place together?” Clyde looked around the dark and empty Coffee shop, flopping his arms around as he looked from wall to wall before turning back to Craig and throwing them up in confusion.  
“This place might as well be closed.”  
“Yeah, but as long as I’m in here,” He gestured around with one arm, “In this shop that might as well be closed, it helps make me seem more responsible to Tweek. He’s in here running this place, like, every day . He’s like a little Charlie Kelly.”  
Clyde cocked his head at him, “Well, wouldn’t it help your case if you had people coming in here?”  
“Why would I want people in here?” Craig asked.  
“Because, if you managed to fill this place with people,” CLyde made little circles with his hand illustrating the restaurant being filled with people, “Just imagine how impressed Tweek would be.”  
“Dude, i’m not gonna try some weird idea to get people to start flooding in here. I’m using this time to the best of my ability already.”  
“Dude, no, I’ve got some ideas. I’m bringing Jimmy in on this.” Clyde pulled out his phone and started calling Jimmy up.  
“Why?”  
“Jimmy’s an idea man. He’ll know exactly what we can do to fully utilize this space to it’s full- Jimmy!” He excitedly answered to his friend on the other end, “Jimmy, it’s Clyde! I’m at Tweak Bros with Craig, we’re gonna impress Tweek so that when he gets back, he’ll be so impressed with Craig, he’ll just jump into his arms at how much money he made him…” He turned around to Craig with a sly smile, “So you're in? Awesome. This is gonna be awesome. See ya soon.”  
Jimmy walked into the cafe about ten minutes later, and immediately, he tossed one hand into the air, putting it up towards Craig, “Okay, I’m here, we can start now.” He said, boldly. “C-Craig, I hear you’re t-trying to impress T-Tweek. Well, I’m here t-to help.”  
“Alright, Jimmy, I want to liven up this place, make it so people see it, and go, ‘wow,’ I could sure go for some coffee!” Clyde told Jimmy.  
“C-Clyde, I know ec-xactly what th-this place needs.” Jimmy walked over to the light switch and turned the lights on. “Boom.”  
“It’s genius!” Clyde shouted, impressed by Jimmy’s ingenuity.  
“Oh god damn it,” Craig said. He moved from behind the counter, “No, okay, I want you guys both out of here. We’ll hang out later, but for now I’m busy.”  
“Okay, I get it,” Jimmy told him, “You d-don’t want us bothering you. So, while we go out and g-get everyone riled up, you hold d-down th-the fort, and when we get back, just wait f-for the people to start f-flooding in.   
“No, god damn,” Craig argued against him.  
“Clyde, l-let’s get this in motion, I know exactly wh-where we need to start, I’ll g-get some Timmy and K-Kevin in on this, they’ll pick us up a f-few things, in two hours this place will be f-flooding with people.”  
“Awesome, I can’t wait! Good luck with the shop, Craig!” Clyde waved back to him as they went out the door.  
“No, not today, jesus friggin,” Craig ran out the door after them, but as he opened it, a woman went in slipping behind him. Craig saw her, going in and then turned back to Clyde and Jimmy, and once again to the woman making her way to the counter. “God friggin damnit, not already.” He headed back into the shop.  
Clyde was driving with Jimmy sitting co pilot as he talked with Timmy. “Alright, you sure you can get it?” Alright, great, I’m gonna be at the mall in an hour w-with Kevin and C-Clyde. Meet us there.”  
Clyde was nodding with excitement as he drove down the road, “Alriiight, what's Timmy doing?”  
“That much is surprise. You’ll find out in another hour.”  
“Okay, okay. Well then, what are we gonna be doing at the mall?”  
“W-we are g-going to be beginning a whisper campaign.”  
Clyde continued nodding excitedly, then stopped and thought, “A what?”  
“We’re going to get in people’s heads that they should be going and getting coffee at Tweak Bros. We’ve g-got to let them know that T-Tweak Bros is the superior c-coffee maker.”  
“Alright. Why’s it called a whisper campaign, though?”  
Jimmy looked at Clyde, then out the windshield, “Well, uh, it’s cause… Well, I think it’s done by you’re having a conversation, and then people are listening in on your conversation so they catch what you were talking about, and now they’ve got in their heads.   
Clyde tilted his head. “How is that a whisper campaign?” He turned to Jimmy , then back to the road.  
“Look, I’m no marketing expert, okay? I just, I know that this is the kind of stuff that works.”  
“...Maybe we should’ve done, like, a taste test challenge, y’know? Take a coffee from Starbucks and Tweek’s and have people take a sip from both of them, tell us which one they prefer?”  
Jimmy looked out the side window of the car, and started shaking his head, “Look, th-this is gonna work, I know it. J-Just trust me on this. I’ve got everything already f-figured out.”  
“Alright, alright.” The two of them continued focusing on the road. Clyde glanced over at Jimmy. “Yeah, no, I’m just… I’m happy to just be out doing things with my friends right now.”  
“Course, man,” Jimmy comforted him.  
“It's just… Been hard since Bebe broke up with me.”  
Jimmy looked over to him, and then back to the road. “Yeah… We’re still going with my plan, though.”  
“Sunnova dick, yeah, whatever.”  
Clyde and Jimmy were walking around the mall’s central plaza, in front of the fountain. They looked about for the Starbucks pacing in circles. “Alright, Clyde, f-for this to work, we’re gonna have to go t-to the starbucks here.”  
“Got it.” Clyde looked up and down the building’s main hall, “Where is that?”  
“I don’t know. I don’t actually drink c-coffee. And g-google won’t help inside.” He said, looking down at his phone.  
“Well, why don’t we just ask someone.” Clyde looked over to a woman walking nearby and walked up to her, “E-excuse, miss, we’re trying to find Starbucks, there’s supposed to be one in here, do you know where-”  
“Woah, woah, w-woah,” Jimmy walked over to Clyde and put a hand on his shoulder, “C-C-Clyde, we can’t ask someone where the Starbucks is.” Clyde and the woman looked at Jimmy.  
“Dude, we gotta find it.”  
“Yes, but that’s a f-free promotion for Starbucks. What if th-this woman sees us wanting to go to Starbucks, next t-time sh-he’s thirsty, she gets the idea of Starbucks right there, f-fresh in her head.” Jimmy turned to her, “Fresh, like every cup of coffee served at Tweak Bros.”  
The woman stared at Jimmy confused, “I don’t know what that is, or what you’re talking about.” She turned to Clyde, “I-I can just point you in the direction of Starbucks, if you want?”  
Jimmy started nodding his head, “No, mm, nop, we’ll find it ourselves. C’mon Clyde.”  
Jimmy walked behind Clyde and headed down the hall. Clyde watched, and turned to the woman, “Sorry about that,” And speedily caught up with Jimmy. “Dude, what the hell? She was gonna give us directions.”  
“It’s a s-small mall, Clyde.” Jimmy told him to ease his worries, “ Will find that Starbucks in no time.”  
Kevin waited for Clyde and Jimmy at the Starbucks on the third floor of the mall for almost half an hour longer than when Jimmy told him they would be showing up. He looked around Starbucks one more time before heading out into the hall and looking about the nearby area for any signs of his friends approaching. Seeing nothing, he rightfully decided to leave. His decision was that they must be at Tweak Bros, and left to head back there promptly. As Jimmy and Clyde wandered through the halls of the mall, Clyde eventually turned to Jimmy and said, “I realize now that I know very little of this mall.”  
“W-we’re in high school and this is the only big sh-sh-shopping place in town, shouldn’t we be here all the t-time?”  
“I man, I came here a lot with Bebe, but I never really noticed where we were going. Like, what the fuck, this place has three floors!? Why does it have so many floor?”  
“Why does it need so many floors, for th-that matter?”  
“Yeah, who wants to choose to go up three floors? I’ve never even been to the third floor, I don’t think.”  
Jimmy rubbed his chin, “Then that means the Starbucks is probably on the third floor.”  
“Oh, come on, man, I don’t wanna go through a whole nother floor.”  
“We have to, we’ve got to find that Starbuck’s”  
“It wouldn’t it be easier to just come up with a whole new strategy?”  
“Clyde, if you think you’ve got a better idea, then I’d love to hear it.”  
Clyde looked to Jimmy, and then let his back give out.  
“C-Come on, Clyde, we’ve got t-to keep going, pull yourself together.”  
“No. I’m tired of this.”  
“Y-you want to help Craig?”  
Clyde looked sullenly down at the floor. “...Yes.”  
“A-alright, then let’s head to the th-third floor!” He said, and gestured forward with his crutch.  
The two of them made their way up the escalator, to look around and see an incredibly shabby and poorly lit floor. They stepped off onto the floor and looked around in wonderment. Across on the other side was a series of businesses totally dark, one of them covered up with police tape, and no way over to the other side was visible. The eaves they had to walk on up here were much thinner than on the second floor, and the first step onto the rug made a squishing noise. Clyde turned to Jimmy, “What the actual fuck?”  
“This is f-far more terrifying than i was expecting.”  
“Why does it look like we stumbled out of the mall and into the secret Bazaar on top of the mall.” Clyde pointed at the outlet to away from them and exclaimed, “That is made of wood.”  
“What?” Jimmy turned to see what he was talking about.  
“That outlet is made out of wood.” The two of them walked over to the outlet. It’s front had the appearance of being a log cabin. “Like, just, what the fuck?”  
They stood there, staring at the log cabin built into the rafters of the mall. “This is t-t-too intriguing to not go into. D-D-Do you see a sign?” They looked about.  
“There’s nothing. I feel like we should take a page out of Craig’s book and just head back to Tweak Bros. Like, we can tell this isn’t a Starbucks. I’ve at least seen one Starbucks, and it did not look like this.”  
“Well, what Craig lacks in Adventurous nature, I make up for in my Int-t-trepidness.” And Jimmy moved into the building. Clyde reached his arm out after him, but he was too late, he had already entered the building. Clyde looked around, and then reluctantly followed after him. Clyde entered the building, following Jimmy. He looked from wall to wall. The building was made entirely out of wood. He saw Jimmy heading towards the back, but glancing over to the right, saw something catching his eye. There was an old fortune telling machine in the corner. He walked over to it, looking at everything between him and it, strange books and jars. One caught his eye, a black mass, obscured by the dilation of the glass. Clyde leaned down to it, recognizing it now to be a very large spider. But with a sudden twitch of the leg, Clyde reeled away from it. Clyde straightened his jacket, giving one last glance to the spider, and continued over to the fortune teller machine. He looked it over, the big wooden frame, the strange, mechanized man inside the box, the painted on curtains ornamenting the glass, and the the two slots at the bottom of the glass, one for a coin to go in, and one for the more expensive fortune cookie fortune to come out of. Clyde was actually a pretty superstitious guy, but he was very much a stickler with what he believed. It was Tweek who told him that all fortune tellers, Zodiac symbols and other such life guiding non sense was fake, because humans were too unpredictable for someone to be able to tell them their future. But Clyde had a few loose coins in his pocket, and he thought to himself, ‘Just as a joke,’ as he started fiddling through his pocket for the coins.   
A man creeped right up behind Clyde and watched as he pulled out a coin and looked down at it quizzically. “Ah, I see you’re interested in your fortune.” Cyde jumped, turning around, swinging his elbow on about eye level, and hit the man directly behind him in the nose. “Awe. shit!” He shouted out in pain as he fell to the ground.  
“Clyde, what was that!?” Jimmy shouted t Clyde from across the room.  
“I just hit some guy in the face!”  
“What, why!?”  
“Awe, holy fuck.” THe man said as he crawled around, holding his nose with one hand. Clyde watched him crawling around. He was wearing a big cape, tripping over it as he tried to crawl to his feet, “Why, in the lord’s name, did you do that!?”  
“I’m sorry, you snuck up right behind me, it was just a reflex.” Clyde tried to help him up, but the man put one hand up in protest, as he stumbled back up to his feet on his own. The man turned to Clyde, his nose bleeding, and gave a bow. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gabriel. I am the owner of this fantastical shop,” He told Clyde in a stuffly voice, “If it’s your fortune you seek, allow me to be of service.”  
Clyde looked down at him bowing and shook his hands, No, no, it’s really not,” he said in protest.  
Jimmy came out from round the corner, “O, c’mon, Clyde, have an adventurous spirit.” Jimmy had no belief in the mysterious, and took the strange things always happening and brushed them aside.  
“Jimmy, please, we… We’re too busy for this, anyway. This seems like a big detour.”  
“Please, Clyde, how long c-c-could this t-take? It’s a fortune telling, it’ll be less than f-five minutes.”  
“We’re half an hour late to meeting up with Kevin, though!?” He pointed out, angrily.  
“Alright. Here’s what w-w-we’re gonna d-do, I’ll call Kevin, you get your fortune told.”  
“No, I prefer talking to Kevin! Greaty!” He argued. But it was too late, Jimmy was calling Kevin already, and the old man, Gabriel, guided Clyde to a back room of the store, where there were various strange objects nailed to the walls, charms, necklaces, and other such paraphernalia. The man sat down at a table facing clyde, and pulled back the hood of his massive cloak. His skin was terribly white, his teeth were rotting, and his nose was crooked, but that still might’ve just been Clyde. He also had a large scar on his forehead and a scab on his flabby neck. Clyde was offput by his appearance, but no more or less so than by anything else in the store.  
“Please, have a seat,” the man offered Clyde, gesturing in front of him.  
“Oh, god damn it,” Clyde muttered as he sat down in front of the creepy man. “This plan is falling apart.”  
“If it’s the outcome of this ‘plan’ you want to know about, I cannot help you. But,” He pulled out a deck of cards from his cloak, “If you wish to know how your life is looking in the future, I’d be happy to assist.”  
“Oh, sunnova dick.”  
“Let me tell you of your future.”  
“This is… This is the actual stupidest.”  
“No talking!” The man shouted. He gave a cough to clear his throat, and began, “Let us begin.” The strange man began shuffling the cards without looking away from Clyde, and then laid five cards on the table face down in a cross shape. He put the deck down, and encompassed the cards with his arms and looked at Clyde with such excitement as he slowly opened his arms up so Clyde could look at the cards, but seeing the face down cards, Clyde just looked at the man with the best blank faced impression of Craig he could get. The man turned down to the cards, and pointed to the center card, “This card will represent your present.” He grabbed it with his thumb and forefinger and flipped it over to reveal an image of a large tower, storming through lightning, heavy waves, rain, and other such assaults. The man gestured to the card, “The Tower. This represents your unwillingness to change, and so blocks against a storm raging within. You are holding onto things that should be let go. He pointed to the card to the left of the Tower. “This represents your desires.” He turned over the card to reveal a man and a woman, standing across from one another completely naked, hands outreached to one another, separated by a large godly presence that had the appearance of a woman. “The Lovers. This card represents love and sexuality. Some might look at it and think that you are either the man or the woman, but I would rather believe that, as one looks at all cards, the choice is from the perspective of one looking onto these characters. You have the openness to choose who you want, with the good will of god, but what is most important here is that this is what you seek.” He moved his finger back over to the right of the Tower. “This represents your power. The positive energies that will help you in your journey.” He turned it over and revealed a boy holding a sword. “The page of Swords,” He said pleasantly. “This boy has the mind and and philosophy of that of a child. But that does not mean he’s immature. He is, in fact, the wisest of the Pages.”  
“That don’t sound right.”  
“Don’t question the meanings of the cards, kid, I’ve been doing this for a long time.”  
“How’s he so wise?”  
“Because of his curiosity and desire for knowledge.”  
“If that’s supposed to be me, than that’s gotta be wrong, just based on my experiences with my friends,”  
“It doesn’t have to be you! It probably is, but it could be a close friend, an ally on this journey. M’kay? Why are you interrupting all of a sudden? Anyway, it’s your strength in this. Moving on.” He gestured at the card at the bottom, “These shall be the challenges you face along your journey.” He flipped it and revealed the image of a grim reaper, “Death.” Clyde backed up in his chair.  
“Woah, wait, what!? Am I gonna die!?”  
“What? No, that’s not-”  
“Holy shit, I knew I was gonna die, it’s always death. This is why I hate fortune tellers.” Clyde stood up.  
“For fucks sake, you’re not gonna die, sweet lord, why does everyone always assume Death is a bad thing!?”  
“Because it’s directly opposing me! What, do I gotta beat death?”  
“NO! Death represents a great transition. You’re going to go through a great transition, and your unwillingness to change through the Tower, means that your tower will have to collapse, and you’ll be left defenseless. Sit down, good lord!”  
Clyde took a moment to clear his throat. “Okay. Okay, fine, let’s finish this up.” He sat back down.  
“Alright. Good. Now, let us be done here.” And he flipped over the last card. “The most likely of results in this situation,” He revealed the card to Clyde, moving his hand out of the way to show two people standing close to one another, clinking glasses, “The two of cups. This card most clearly displays the eternal bond of two people. It most commonly shows how one shall find their soulmate.” Clyde looked down at the card and took a deep inhale, and a sigh. “Now, about your payment. For my services, that’ll be about a hundred dollars,” And he held hi hand out to receive his expected cash.  
Clyde looked down at his extended hand, then back up at the man’s creepy, smiling face with absolute shock, and said, “Fuck you, what!? A hundred fuckin’ bucks for that shit!? Hell no! I could’ve done that myself.”  
Jimmy pushed the door open and peeked his head in, “What’s going on, Clyde?”  
“He wants a hundred bucks for a fucking fortune telling,” He turned to Jimmy and angrily pointed to the man.  
“Hey, you wanted your fortune told,” The man pointed out.  
“No I didn’t! You offered to tell my fortune, and my friend said I should, and then you did, I never consented to this!”  
“You came to my back room,” He argued.  
“That’s not consent.” He threw his arms up in argument, turning to Jimmy and then back to him, “That is not Consent!”  
“Well, Clyde, w-we gotta get going. K-Kevin is heading back to C-C-Craig, and the Starbucks aspect of this plan is a wash, so we’re just calling mission f-f-fai-fuh-failure, so just pay him and let’s get going.”  
“Hell fuckin no, this is bullshit, I refuse to pay for something I didn’t want in the first place and did not choose to have. This is not what I’m gonna be blowing a hundred bucks on.”  
“Well,” The old man stood up and moved out from behind the table, over to Clyde in the small room. “If you're refusing to pay me, then I’m afraid we’ll have to settle this the old fashioned way. If you’ll follow me. There is a place for such squabbles to be settled.”  
The man walked past Clyde and then Jimmy, out the door to the main room. Clyde and Jimmy watched as he waited or them at the front door. The two of them looked to one another, and then Jimmy started after him.  
“Oh, come on, Jimmy, no.”  
“We’ll get this over with quickly. C-C-Come on. This is the only way to settle this, it s-sounds.”  
“Awe, duh fuck.” Clyde looked about the empty store, and seeing no sort of air duct to crawl through to safety, followed after Jimmy.   
Kevin showed up at Tweak Bros around this time, looking about the store that now was serving about six people, while five more sat at booths. Kevin walked to the front of the line to see Craig, but a man grabbed his shoulder, turning him around, “Excuse me, young man, but we’ve been waiting here a while. Can’t you see the line,”  
“Yeah, I see the line, but I’ve just gotta talk to my friend working the counter.”  
“That slackjaw? I’m sorry, you’re going to have to wait in line like everyone else if you want to-”  
“You, the one touching the young child, let him go!” The man and Kevin looked to the front where Craig was pointing at them, looking furious. The man took his hand off Kevin’s shoulder, and Kevin looked to him, sticking his tongue out at him as he approached the front counter. Kevin stood next to the counter as Craig slowly walked around behind it, bringing a cup to the man at the front of the line. The man removed the lid and looked at his coffee.  
“This is just coffee with cream and sugar in it. I asked for a latte.”  
Craig turned to face the man voicing his complaint, and Kevin noticed how a cigarette was dangling from his mouth tossing ashes all over the place, “Oh, I’m so sorry,” He told him, pointing an angry finger at him, “I didn’t realize everything had to go your way today. Look at the menu.” He pointed up to where the regular menu was to reveal that it had been covered up with a sheet of paper reading “Coffee, small 2.99, Medium 3.65, Large 4.50, water, small 1.00, Medium 2.50, Large, 3.50.”  
The man and Kevin both looked back down to Craig, “What happened to the old menu?” He asked.  
“I’m what happened, now please, enjoy your coffee.” And the man walked off angrily.  
“Oh my god, Craig, are you alright?” Kevin asked.  
“I have never worked a job before. This has been a hard hour. I have no idea how to make anything. I think I might have let on to Tweek I’d learned it from watching him do this stuff a thousand times before. That was a mistake, because I’d never actually payed attention to what Tweek was doing in those cases.”  
“And you’re just now realizing that was a bad idea?” Kevin asked.  
“Tell you what, why don’t you not question me, and I won’t go asking Clyde why he thinks you tried out for the football team?” Craig offered.  
Kevin rubbed his hands together nervously, looking around the room. “Hey, are you gonna take my order?” The next man in line asked.  
“Op, better get back to work,” Kevin told him to change the subject.  
“Yeah yeah,” Craig turned to him, “water or coffee?”  
“My god, you are the worst new employee I’ve ever had to work with.”  
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any salt on the menu.”  
“Get rekt,” Kevin whispered.  
“What is this music playing!?” He asked, disgusted. Kevin and Craig both looked up to the ceiling, to where music was blasting, “Look at this lady all in front of me, sexy as can be, tonight I a want a slut; Won’t you be mine? Heard you were freaky from a friend of mine.”  
Craig and Kevin looked back down to the man, “You reposted in the wrong neighborhood.”  
“What in god does that mean? Who hired you?”  
“Tweek.”  
The man raised an eyebrow to to Craig, “Where’s the nice little white girl who’s always working?”  
Craig and Kevin both stopped, and the sudden pulse could be felt like a bolt of lightning. Kevin looked to Craig and saw he had the same feelings he did. “Now, Craig,” Kevin reached ove and put his hand on his arm, less to provide sympathy, but to keep him from swinging with his good arm if he started throwing punches. “I know there was a lot there to work with, but please, try and remain calm.”  
“First off, the fuck do you mean girl, he’s a boy.” Craig asked him with hatred spewing out of his eyes like pure energy.  
“Look, I’ve been coming in here since that little girl, ehh, Tweek, was in Elementary school. It’s just weird having this new, ehh-”  
“South American,” Kevin filled in his pause instinctively.  
“No, just, just new employee, it’s weird.”  
“Yeah, you can go ahead and get the fuck out of here, you transphobic piece of shit. I officially ban you from Tweak Bros.” And he pointed to the door with the arm Kevin was holding onto, lifting up half of Kevin’s weight.  
“You can’t ban someone from a store.” The man protested.  
“I can, I have, and now, I’m doing it again to you. So please, do me a favour and get the fuck out.”  
The man stepped out of line and looked back at Craig as he made his way towards the door, “You’ll be hearing about this. I promise you!”  
Craig gave a hiss, and the man went running out of the building. Kevin turned from the door to Craig, who he was dangling from the arm of. “So you’re hissing at people, now?”  
“Just as long as people are being bitches, and I can’t hit them at Tweek’s work.”  
“How long is Tweek away, again?”  
Craig put Kevin down lightly. “Two weeks, and it’s been a day.”  
The next person walked up to him, “Could I get a large black coffee?”  
“Yes, you can.” Craig told him, tired. He moved over to the coffee maker and filled the cup. Kevin looked to the man, and the man looked to him.  
“I like this guy.” the man told him. “I like the cut of his jib.”  
Kevin looked to Craig and then started moving around the line to the other side of the small cafe, observing all the people at their tables, and coming behind the counter. Craig was filling the cup of coffee to the top, when he glanced up at him. “Yes?”  
“Need any help?”  
“Nope. Definitely got this under control.” Kevin threw his hands up and turned away from Craig. He took a few steps back and then stopped, clapping his hands together. He raised his head and turned to the door to the employee’s only room. He heard a strange sound coming from the back. Kevin looked to craig, and then to the door, and then decided to let himself in. What he saw was shocking. The coffee grinder was currently trying to grind a brick shoved down its top opening.  
Kevin was left in shock, mouth agape at the sight, “Craig!” He called out.  
Craig popped his head in the back. “What?”  
Kevin turned to him with a look of pure confusion. “Why is there a brick in the bean grinder?”  
Craig briefly looked around the room for what he was talking about. “The what?” Kevin stared at his incompetence manifesting in physical form in front of him like Reaper from Overwatch. Kevin raised his hand and pointed to the big machine in the center of the room. “Oh, that, yeah. I don’t know what that’s about.”  
“Are ya sure?” Kevin asked him.  
Craig gave a look at the bean grinder with a sour face, and nodded, “yeah, no clue.” Craig walked into the room, walking past Kevin and over to the grinder, reaching up and pulling out the brick. He looked it over, and then over to the window. It had been left open. He walked over and closed it, then turned to Kevin, “Problem solved.”  
Kevin pinched his nose, “Oh my god, what is happening around here.,” Kevin looked at the the coffee grinder, grabbed Tweek’s stepping stool, and walked over to try and get a look at the top of the grinder. He wasn’t tall enough. “Craig, could you maybe um…” He was embarrassed to ask it, but Craig was already ahead of him, as he walked over and gave Kevin’s short self a boost up to the top of the machine to get a look in. It was a little bent out of shape on the inside, but otherwise looking to be in good shape. “Kay, put me down. Now.”  
“Course,” And he put him back down gently. “We looking good?”  
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll clean up back here. You just get back to the counter.”  
“You got it, Kevin. Whatever you say.” He gave him a salute and headed back out the door. Half of the customers in line had gotten impatient and left, which Craig was happy about. He returned to serving the next customer.   
As the woman got her coffee and quickly left, Kevin came out from the back room and came up to Craig, “Hey, Craig, where are all of the grinds?”  
“Eh?”  
Kevin took a moment to look from Craig to the next person in line to just check if he had heard his eh same as everyone else, to which the next person in line gave a similarly mythicized look and a shrug of the shoulders, and then, returning his view to Craig, asked, “Craig, do you know how to make coffee?”  
Craig quickly glanced downward, “Yeah.”  
Kevin raised his hand and pointed to Craig, as he turned to the large coffee pot behind him, pouring himself out a cup. “Craig, this is, like, majority water. How many pots have you cooked?”  
“I don’t know, like, four?”  
“And did you ever replace the grinds?”  
“Well, no. The fuck does it matter?” People in line hearing the conversation were starting to leave in drones.  
“Holy crap, Craig, what the heck!? You should have replaced the beans after MAYBE two pots. And what’s extra worrying is the lack of any grinds or beans, or anything need for coffee, really, or anything, like, there is nothing in the back.”  
There was now no longer a line in the store, the people having realized what they were dealing with. “Alright, so, I know where we ac get the stuff.”  
“What do you mean, the stuff?”  
“Well, I remember going with Tweek to Kenny’s house to get the stuff his family uses for their coffee.”  
Kevin looked down and rubbed a finger against his temple. “Okay, yeah, sure, let’s go.”  
And so, Craig walked over to the light switch and started flicking it on and off, “EVERYONE OUT, WE’RE CLOSING EARLY FOR THE DAY, EVERYBODY. TIME TO GET THE FUCK OUT!” He started yelling, and everyone sitting and enjoying their stuff and left in a huff. And then, Craig locked up the door and the two of them took off to Kenny’s house.   
Clyde and Jimmy were staring at the old cloaked man standing in front of a door on the first floor. The two of them looked to one another, and then back to the old man as he gestured them closer to him. He gave a cackle and opened the door. “WE could just walk away and forget about this, right now.” Clyde offered one more time.  
“We’ve come this far, might as well see it all the way through.” And Jimmy walked into the open door.  
Clyde looked at the door and thought to himself, “I’m gonna be killed in this mall.” And Clyde walked in after his friend. As Clyde entered, he looked around. The hall he was now in was strangely all concrete and very cold. And it was much more greatly wide. He ran up over to Jimmy’s side. “So, where is he, now?”  
“He’s surprisingly fast.”  
“So did we lose him, then?”  
“P-P-Perspectively, he lost us.”  
“Oh, please, what, we’re gonna get into perspectives, right now?”  
“Well, we were following him,”  
“Well, he was guiding us, so what about that?”  
“Wait, l-look, there he is.” The two of them walked up to him, and stopped behind him. He was standing in front of a second   
“Are you ready, my friends? For this,” He turned the knob, “For your trial!?” He pushed open the door, and light blasted them. AS they adjusted to the light, following him into the void, they saw that the three of them had entered into another store. Clyde looked around, baffled by where they now were. “Are you impressed by this new world I have shown you?”  
Clyde turned to him, “This is Macy’s.”  
“Now, let us begin… THE TRIALS!” And the man tossed off his cloak, revealing his naked body. Jimmy and Clyde, along with everyone else in Macy’s was in sudden shock.  
Jimmy started muttering, “Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da,”  
Clyde started yelling, “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” and turned away and covered his face.  
The man got into a low, crouched stance, and prepared himself for one of them to make a move, “Are you ready for this!?”  
A security guard quickly ran in and threw a blanket over the man, “Mr. Gorbachev, it’s time for you to go home.”  
Clyde lowered his hand to get a peek at what was happening. When he saw the man covered with a blanket, he lowered his hand, “I am very deeply confused by all of what’s going on.”  
“It’s alright, kid, I’ve got the situation under control.”  
“NO, but… What’s the fucking situation!?” Clyde shouted out in his confusion.  
“Mr. Gorbachev is very mentally ill, and we’re just trying to get him the best help we can. He comes into the mall a lot and does this sort of thing. We’re very sorry.”  
“But, wait, doesn’t he own that log cabin on the third floor?”  
As the security guard began guiding Mr. Gorbachev away, he turned back, “The hell are you talking about kid? There is no third floor?” the old man turned back with a sly smile, and put his forefinger to his lips.  
Clyde took a quick step forward, then turned back to Jimmy, still baffled by his sight, and then back to the old man, “No. No, you don’t put your finger to your fucking lip, like there was some big secret!” Clyde looked back to Clyde, and then ran for the front doors of Macy’s and looked up towards the ceiling, and wildly through his arm into the air gesturing towards it, “There isn’t a third floor anymor! There isn’t a GOD DAMN third floor Jimmy, it never existed! THAT’S SO STUPID! THAT’S SO FUCKING STUPID! I’M,” He tossed his arms into the air in protest, “i’M DONE, I’M GOING BACK TO THE COFFEE SHOP, GOD FUCKIN’ DAMN IT! THIS WAS ONE BIG DUMB STUPID DERAILED ADVENTURE, I’M DONE!”  
Timmy was parked in front of Tweak Bros coffee, looking into the dark building. He looked about, and then peered back in, letting out an inquisitive, “Tiiiimmyyyyy?”  
Kevin and Craig knocked at Kenny’s front door. They stood there waiting for about a minute, before Karen McCormick came to open the door to them. “Hey, what’s up, Craig? Who’s this?”  
“Hi, I’m Kevin.”  
“Nice to meet you.” She turned from him back to Craig, “What do you guys want?”  
“We need to talk to Kenny. We’re trying to find coffee beans.” He told her.  
“You’re picking up for Tweek?”  
“He’s outta town, we’re working the shop for him while he’s gone.”  
“Well, that’s nice. I’m sorry to say Kenny’s at Kyle’s right now.”  
“Right course. Do you know where we can the beans then?”  
“Oh, well, Tweek usually gets them from some guys in the garage.”  
“Thanks, Karen. Have a good one.”  
“You, too, Craig!” And she closed the door on them.  
“Well, you see, we’re almost done here.”  
“Really? You don’t think it’s weird that we’re buying coffee beans out of a garage? I feel like we could get better from… Anywhere.”  
“If this is where Tweek’s been getting it, how bad could it be?”  
Kevin and Craig entered the shed and were immediately hit with the terrible smell. Kevin backed away from the door screaming “What the heck is that smell!?” Holding his nose shut.  
“Yeah, that’d be drugs.” Craig glanced around the room. “A whole lotta... And various kinds of drugs.”  
Kevin got up behind Craig, peeping his head in, not taking his hands away from his nose, and whispered in his ear, “These guys are drug dealers?”  
“Yup. I would assume so. I’m guessing this is where Kenny gets his pot, too.” Craig pushed the door open wide, creating a loud creaking noise. Three people jumped up from off the floor.  
“Who the fuck’s there!?” One of them shouted.  
“It’s alright, it’s alright!” Craig called out to him, raising his arms up as if he was a velociraptor, “We’re here to buy.”  
The man gave a twitch of his eyebrow. “What are you!? Some kind of narc?”  
“No, I’ve just never bought from anyone I didn’t know before they started selling, so this is a weirdly new situation.”  
“You sure talk like some kinda freakin’ narc.”  
“I’ve been told often I’m a terrible conversationalist,” Craig told him frankly.   
The man squinted his eyes as he moved across the room precariously, “Whatchu want!?”  
“I’m here to buy some… Coffee beans?” Saying it out loud and being in the situation he was in, Craig realized this was ridiculous, and turned back to Kevin. “We’re… Buying coffee beans… From a drug dealer, what the fuck?” Craig let that sink in as he dropped his hands to his sides and looked around this ridiculous home of a drug dealer who the Tweak family had been buying coffee beans from for presumably years.  
“I don’t buy it.”  
“Neither do I, now that I’m here,” Craig said to himself.  
“The only person in this town buyin’ coffee beans is Tweek, I don’t trust anybody but her.”  
“Okay, first off, Tweek is a boy-”  
“I want you the fuck out of here. Now! Henry!” the man reached down and started shaking him awake, “Henry, we got trouble!” Henry shot up like a gun, holding a gun, pointing it forward and letting a round out of his rifle. Kevin and Craig ducked from the sound of the gun going off and looked over to the hole with shock.  
“Craig!” Kevin shouted  
“Yeah, we’re the fuck outta here.” The two of them ran back out the door they’d just come in.  
“Henry, they’re gettin’ away! After ‘em!” Henry and his counterpart ran out of the barn and gave a quick look about. “Put the gun away. I’ma give a quick sweep for them. Be back soon, honey.”  
“Right, Jack. Get back, soon.” Jack gave him a nod and started lurking around. Craig watched as he walked by from inside Kenny’s house.  
“Thanks for letting us in, Karen. We’re gonna duck into Kenny’s room. Tell us when he shows up.”  
“Yeah, sure. Sorry about Jack. He’s very defensive.”  
“He tried to have us shot.” Kevin whispered to her angrily, hiding under their coffee table.  
“He’s a nice guy when you get to know him.”  
“I don’t want to get to know him.”  
Jimmy and Clyde were heading back to Tweak Bros in silence. Jimmy occasionally looked to Clyde, just to turn away in shame. Clyde took a deep breath in and sighed, “I just wanted to have some fun with my friends. And I ended up seeing an old man’s junk.”  
“Look, Clyde.” Jimmy turned to him and he glanced back angrily. “You were… Just as exc-s-suh excited to help C-Craig with the Starbucks plan.”  
“Are you fucking…” Clyde turned away from him, “It wasn’t the Starbucks plan that I am angry about,” He smacked the side of his hand against the driving wheel, “It’s the we ended up in some stupid not a wizard bullshit third floor of the mall, and I wanted to go back, and you said you were “intrepid,” and ended up getting me into deep shit.”  
Jimmy turned back away from him. “Jesus Christ.”  
They came up to the coffee shop and saw Timmy still waiting outside. “Oh my god, where in god is Craig?”  
About an hour later, Craig and Kevin showed up back at Tweak Bros with Kenny and Kyle. As Craig stepped out of the car, he saw Clyde, Jimmy and Timmy waiting for him at the door. “Awwe, shit.”  
“Dude, where did you go!?” Clyde asked him, tired and sad.  
“We didn’t have any coffee left. We needed to go get more. We didn’t get any.”  
Clyde let out a moan as he stepped back and rested his head against the front window.  
Craig walked over to the door, pulling out the key and letting them all in. Clyde went over to behind the counter asking, “Anyone hungry? There are a couple leftover pastries still here.”  
“Those are all pretty old.”  
“God damn it. Fuck it.” Clyde pulled out a bunch of pastries and walked over to his mostly collected gang sitting at the tables. “Y’know, I’m wondering to myself, where the hell was Token in all this?”  
“I don’t think anyone could answer that, if you’re the one asking it.” Craig said as he rested his head in his arms.  
Kyle and Kenny walked into the room after they all were sitting and looking exhausted. “What the hell’s going on with all you guys?” Kenny asked.  
“We haven’t had a day this weird in a while. I got shot at,” Craig told him.  
“Me and Jimmy went to a fake place and saw an old man junk.” Clyde said as he placed a pile of stale pastries on top of one of the tables and started munching on one of them.  
“Timmyyyy.” Timmy chimed in with their suffering.  
“Oh, yeah, Timmy, did you at least get the thing?” Jimmy turned and asked his friend.  
“Timmyyy,” He told them excitedly as he held up a blue bandanna.  
Craig raised his head at the siht and asked, “Are those Crip colours?  
Jimmy started excitedly “Yeah, I thought this might help with-”  
“Nope,” Craig quickly dismissed him. “Nope, I don’t even ave time to get into that right now, just… Just, no.”  
TImmy lowered the bandanna in disappointment, letting out a “Timmyy…”  
“This place looks like a mess, haven’t you only been running it for two days?” Kyle asked, looking around.  
“Trust me, Kyle, it’s worse than it looks.”  
“Oh, I don’t wanna have ta go through a day like this, again.” Clyde exclaimed through a big bite.  
“Well, luckily, you don’t have to. As long as you don’t bother me here at work, again.” craig pointed out.  
The gang moped about for a moment before Kevin picked up his head and said, “No. No, we’re still all in this.”  
Craig raised his head to look over to him. “He’s right,” Clyde agreed, “We’re very clearly incompetent with this kind of shit, but we’re Tweek’s friends, so we all gotta hold this place down.”  
Craig put two to the bridge of his nose. “Alright. Fine. Here’s how we’ll do. Kenny, tomorrow, you’re gonna come by when I’m opening right after school with the drugs. I mean, beans.”  
“Got it,” and he gave a thumbs up.  
“JImmy, you’re working with me tomorrow, Clyde and Kevin you’re working the weekend, we’ll schedule out all next week after that.” Kevin looked to Clyde and gave a small smile of joy before turning away.  
“What about me?” Kyle asked, wanting to help.  
“Kyle,” Craig pointed at him, “I don’t give a fuck.”  
“Fuck you!” Kyle shouted at him.  
“Timmy, if I need someone to fill in, most likely for me, and most likely I will, I’ll be calling you up.”  
“Timmyyy!”  
“I’ll talk with Token and see if Jason can pull a shift. Everyone good?” Craig put it to the group.  
They all looked to one another, and then back to Craig, “Yes.”  
“Good. Now we just figure out how to make coffee.”  
“That was a terrible joke.”  
Kenny put his hands on his hips, “Some might say, Not that Funny.”  
“Fuck off, Kenny.”  
“Fuck you, Craig.”


	10. Sisters of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight sexual content, here.  
> 

Wendy sat in the living room of Heidi Turner. They were the only ones there. It was the same day Heidi had told her of her break up with Eric. Wendy was trying to be as supportive as possible of her friend. Wendy had just been dropped over at her friend’s house by her parents, telling them this was going to be a late night. They understood, and told her she could spend the night if she had to, and make sure she just got to school the next day.  
When Wendy was first let in, Heidi called her in, telling her the door was open. She came in and saw her friend sitting on the couch. She looked sad, but after looking at Wendy for a moment, a smile broke through. Wendy thought the smile looked to be sincere. Wendy thought back to every time she’d seen Heidi during her relationship with Cartman, and tried to think about how often her smiles looked sincere. Wendy made her way over to the couch, thinking about Heidi. She sat and turned to her, and for the next five minutes sat in silence, as after thirty seconds, Heidi took a long breath out, and slowly lowered her head until it banged into Wendy’s chest. She then repositioned herself, lying back into Wendy. Wendy herself was a little caught off guard by her friend, but accepted it and let her lie into her. Wendy wrapped her arms around Heidi, like she used to with Stan when he was drunk and scared by the world around him. She rested her head on the top of Heidi’s.  
After those five minutes of sitting there together, wrapped in one another, Heidi said, “I’m really scared right, now.”  
Wendy opened her eyes and looked down at her. She looked scared, the same way Stan did when she held him like this. That look of fear. “Why are you scared?”  
Heidi looked straight ahead, past the wall in front of her, to the world she inhabited. “I don’t think I can handle going out into the world. I feel so alone, so often. It’s terrible.”  
“Heidi.” Wendy held her more tightly to her chest. “Heidi, Cartman was nothing. And the only way he could feel better about himself was to make someone else feel even more worthless than he did. I promise you, you are so much better than him.”  
Heidi’s arms were held down under Wendy’s she struggled to let them free, which Wendy responded to and opened up her arms so she could let them out. Heidi thin reached her hands around and took hold of Wendy’s, wrapping them around her again. “It’s just… I don’t know what I could possibly do to feel like myself again. Because after this, I can’t remember what I was like before.”  
Wendy raised her head off of on top of hers to look off with her. “Well, than, don’t go back to who you were before. Because you and that person from before all this are different people.” Heidi raised her head and looked up at Wendy above her, and Wendy looked back down. “You don’t go back to before. You go ahead of this. You move forward. You move on, and you grow as a person. We all grow as people. Use this, and grow from the experience. And you never let this sort of thing happen again. You never let someone hurt you, or make you feel insignificant. Because you’re not.”  
Heidi closed her eyes tightly and tilted her head forward. She lifted Wendy’s hands up and pressed the backs of her hands against her head. Wendy didn’t move them, not knowing how she should hold them, and letting Heidi use them how she wanted. Heidi moved her hands back down, and took a deep breath. “Thanks, Wendy. That’s… Really good to hear right now.”  
Wendy remained still, smiling to herself. She put her head back down against Heidi’s. The two sat in silence once more, minutes ticking away. After quite a few passed them by, Wendy raised her head. She looked down at Heidi. She couldn’t tell if she had fallen asleep.  
“Heidi?” She asked quietly to make sure.  
“Yes?” Heidi responded quietly.  
“I was wondering if you wanted to do something? You know.”  
“I do.”  
Wendy looked about the room, then down at Heidi, “What did you have in mind?”  
Heidi, took another long and deep breath, reveling in imagination in, and then pushing it out. “No. I’m sorry, what do you want to do?”  
“Heidi.” Wendy quickly turned her head and gave a tsk. “Heidi, if there’s something that’d make you happy, tell me.”  
Heidi let go of one of Wendy’s hands and moved hers over to Wendy’s leg, where she rested it on her knee. “Please, forget I just said that. Why don’t we just watch some TV or make some Totino's(SNL REFERENCE, FUCK YOU, I DID IT, MOM! *Briefly spin kicks to Mars*)?”  
Wendy looked down at the hand on her knee, then back to Heidi. She pressed her head into Heidi’s hair and moved her hand over back on top of Heidi’s.  
“Heidi… I want help you. Whatever you want to… Just tell me.”  
There was a long pause, an intense silence, and then, the sound of ruffling hair hit Wendy’s ears, breaking it, as Heidi moved her head, gently pushing Wendy back. Wendy lifted her head up, as Heidi adjusted and looked up, pressing the top of her head against Wendy’s chest. Heidi looked up into her eyes those that were a bluish grey, like that of the shining of the moon on the gentle surface of the water. Wendy looked back as Heidi closed her eyes and started moving her up towards Wendy’s. Wendy had a moment where she couldn’t think after realizing what this was. A sudden flash of Stan, and then just as quickly, pushing it away. Wendy adjusted herself. Heidi felt her move, fearing she was moving away, and opened her eyes, but saw instead Wendy directly above her, eyes closed, unmoving, lips positioned above hers, and Heidi gave a gasp, quickly shutting her eyes tightly, and quickly rushing her lips up to impact in a heavy kiss. The kiss was poor, from their position, but Heidi quickly turned herself around, twisting her head, keeping their lips together. Wendy was pushed back, and she let her head be moved back to the arm of the couch, and rewrapped her arms around Heidi’s back, holding her tightly. Heidi moved her head up to touch against Wendy’s forehead, taking slow breaths, opening her eyes to stare down at Wendy, drowning in that lake of her eyes. She couldn’t look too long, fearing getting entrenched in them, and let her head slide down next to Wendy’s on the arm of the couch. Staring off towards her kitchen.  
Heidi turned onto her side, and Wendy moved her head to look back at her. “I’m sorry,” She quickly apologized.  
Wendy blinked. “No reason to be.”  
“It’s just that… For a second, I wanted to say I’ve never kissed a girl, but, no, that’s… Both not it, and stupid. I’ve… I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time. And it’s just. I’m so… Happy. That I’m with you right now.”  
“Flabbergasted.”  
“Yeah that’s the word.”  
“No, that’s me, right now.”  
“Oh.” Heidi giggled. “I’ve never been impulsive. So I’m just caught off guard. Oh, god, I can’t stop thinking of how I almost said the stupidest thing I could say to spoil the moment. And kind of did. This all right now, I’m really Happy.”  
Wendy saw the pure joy on her face, the wide smile that kept shrinking slightly due to nervousness, but kept trying to widen. Wendy leaned closer and kissed her on the edge of her lips, and Heidi moved in to meet hers. They sat there for a minute before Heidi gave a gasp and stuttered out, “W-Wendy. Would you… Would you want to move things further?”  
Wendy stared at her, questioning. Wendy moved her head and looked up at the ceiling, then sat up and looked back down at her, lying on her back as she squirmed over to her front.  
“How so?”  
“Wendy… I’ve… Thought about this for a long time. Not, not with you. Well, I mean, maybe, I've thought about it with you before, but not in a long time. The point. Oh god damn it.” Heidi pitched her elbows behind her back and pushed herself into an upright position. “Wendy. Okay. I’m. I’m sorry for kissing you. That. That was very impulsive. I just. I’m sorry, I want to move things further, but I don’t want to mess things up between us.”  
Wendy looked at Heidi lowering her head. Wendy moved closer, scooching herself back down the couch towards her, and put her hand on hers, “Heidi. I’m happy that you kissed me. I’ve… Had a lot going on lately. And I didn’t… Expect this kind of thing to happen to me so soon. Not after I left Stan. I wasn’t ever really expecting anything like this, but I’m happy that it happened. And… And I don’t want to ruin our friendship either. But… If you want to move things forward? I would love to.”  
Heidi looked back into her eyes and wrapped her fingers through hers. Heidi moved closer and rested her head against Wendy shoulder. Wendy. put her head on top of hers. “Thank you, Wendy. I’m sorry.”  
“Please, don’t feel like you have to apologize.”  
Heidi slowly lifted her head, Wendy sensing and moving off of her. They met eyes and kissed once more, before Heidi pulled away, letting go of her hand and standing up. “Wendy. Could you indulge me for a minute?”  
“Yeah, sure,” Wendy confirmed with a smile.  
“Alright. Wait here for a minute, then, please.”  
Wendy watched as Heidi left the room. There was nothing there to focus on but the silence. Wendy looked around and stood up, walking about, unsure what to do with herself. She headed to the kitchen, and opened the fridge. At the moment, Wendy was a little confused. She’d never moved with someone so fast. And with someone she’d been such close friends with for so long, was still such close friends with. She had the sudden thought, what were they going to be tomorrow? Wendy opened the fridge, and decided to make something to eat to calm her nerves. Hearing the fridge open made her blink. She had to refocus. There were no bugs creaking or chirping outside, the wind was dead. She had the buzzing of the machines in the kitchen to focus on at least now. Then, there was a louder noise from upstairs. Music. She listened closely, holding the fridge door opened. Solange, A Seat at the Table. She recognized it. She wanted to head upstairs to find out what it was, but turned back to the fridge, she pulled out a package of hm, and nervously, took out a single piece of it and decided to eat it.  
She looked into the fridge, chewing on this piece of ham, when she was called, “Alright, Wendy. You can come up, now.” Wendy turned back to the fridge, continuing to chew on the piece of ham, quickly swallowing and closing the fridge door, hurrying over to the stairs. She put her hand on the railing and looked up the stairs. She saw Heidi pop her head out from just around the corner. “Alright, wait right there.”  
Wendy looked about her feet and then back up the staircase. Then, Heidi majestically moved into view, heading away from the stairs off to the right with her back to Wendy. Her long hair flowed down her back onto long black robes that could be so slightly seen through which covered her body. She stuck one leg out slightly beyond her robes, revealing skin, and gave a sweep of her head as she looked over her shoulder down at Wendy, her hair flipping over the other. She then slowly turned her body revealing where the robe ended and displayed he in her underwear, and giving the sexiest pose she could think of, her arms crossed in front of her torso. Wendy was astounded, quickly covering her agape mouth. She recognized Heidi was trying to hide her own excitement, as her face kept twitching into a smile. Wendy slowly climbed the stairs towards her, never looking away. Coming to the top, she put her hands on her hips and gave her another long and passionate kiss. Heidi began losing her balance, her legs in as positioning as weird as they were, and began to fall as Wendy pushed her back, but Wendy caught her, and held her there, all weight off of her in that moment. Her hair slowly slipped off of her shoulder and dangled below her as they stood there in that moment. Then Wendy pulled her back to her feet, never letting go of her lips.  
Heidi gave her lower lip a bite as she pulled away, letting it go and meeting with Wendy’s eyes once more. “Do I, um… Do I look sexy?”  
Wendy smiled, “Very.”  
“Oh. I kind of hate this thing.” She said, raising her arms that were draped in the light fabric. “It, um… It was a… Gift from Cartman. But I wanted to get that seductive look just right.”  
Wendy smiled, but then was hit with a sudden node that sent her stone faced, as she thought of a something that sounded really sexy in her head, “Then why don’t we get you out of it.” And she was incredibly happy by how sexy it sounded out loud.  
Heidi was briefly flustered, “Okay,” and she moved her hand over to Wendy’s, slipping her fingers back between hers and spun around, holding her eyes on Wendy’s as long as possible before turning her head away. She pulled her by the hand down the hall towards her room, where as she opened the door, the sound of Solange’s Cranes in the Sky came to an end, and the ticking of Kali Uchis’ Ridin ROund began, which Heidi quickly turned to face with excitement at its timing. Wendy leaned her head into the room. Heidi still didn’t have a phone, so she wanted to see what this was playing on. She saw in the far corner of the room one big amp, and a second in another, far corner of the room. Wendy gave a light giggle. She moved past Heidi, shooting her a quick smile, and looked at her bedside table. She had a record player spinning this track. She turned back to Heidi.  
“You’ve got custom vinyls?” She asked, impressed.  
“Yeah. I can get by without a phone, but not music. I’ve got a big collection, but for custom printed vinyls like that, you’ve got to pay out the ass. They’re fifty, each, at the best you can find them.”  
“Where DID you find them?”  
“Dad did. Which, I’m pretty sure he just googled it. Soooo, always back to the internet.” She walked closer to Wendy, swaying her hips as she went. “I’m getting a new phone over the weekend. I’ll make sure you’re the first number in it. I’m not sure if I can say I’ve missed the internet, with all it’s flaws, But it’ll be nice being able to contact my friends, again,” She said as she lightly ran the tips of her fingers of her fingers up Wendy’s leg. Wendy put her hands on her waist, and the two of them came together one more time, kissing each other, and Wendy turned her around and moved her back until her legs hit the edge of her bed, and she let her down onto the edge of her bed, where she laid on top of her, kissing her lips, and then moving onto her cheek, down towards her neck, where she started biting. Heidi moved her hands onto the back of Wendy’s head, pulling at her long hair, tangling fingers between the locks, as she finally let out a moan of pleasure. Wendy bit at her harder when she heard that moan, and sent her deeper into pleasure. Heidi slowly worked one hand downward, holding a lock of her hair between two fingers, slipping her hand beneath her jacket, then her shirt, and feeling the skin of her back and digging her long nails into her skin, stroking up along the spine. Wendy let the skin of her neck go and stopped for a moment. She took the sleeve of Heidi’s robe and pulled at it, and Heidi slipped her arm out of it. Wendy then let the robe go and stood up.  
Heidi watched as she walked over to the light switch, and looked back at her with a smile. Then, the lights went out.


	11. Angel

Kyle was sitting in his Spanish class with David, the day after everyone had gone through their break ups. The two of them were focusing on their class work. Suddenly, Kyle got a buzz in his pocket. He pulled out his phone to see a new message from Kenny. David stopped working to look down at Kyle’s phone being held in between them, hidden from the teacher. Kenny had sent a picture of a Pug in a Tub, with the message ‘A Pug in a Tub.’ David couldn’t help but smile at the pointless seeming message, and Kyle gently and quietly banged his head against his desk once before coming back up. David turned back to his work as Kyle put his phone away, asking him while writing away on his assignment, “So, how are things between you and Kenny going?”  
“Oh my god,” Kyle groaned. “Kenny is possibly my oldest friend. He knows me better than anyone. But it’s just been really weird to be dating someone you know like that. I mean, we grew up together, and everything. This is just a really weird change in our relationship. But other than that whole freakiness,” He turned to David with a smile, “It’s been great.”  
“Happy to hear.” David wrote away at his paper, until he suddenly had to stop, hung up on a thought. David tilted his head so slightly to get a good long glance at him. When Kyle noticed and turned to him, David swallowed nervously and pressed the tip of his pencil hard against his paper, snapping the lead. David gave a quick glance around to make sure he was seriously going to ask Kyle about this right now the middle of class.  
He looked back at Kyle, pressing his upper lip against his teeth, and then asking, “How are things with you and Stan?”  
Kyle blinked. “Why…” Kyle gave a nervous chuckle, “Why do you ask?”  
“I’m just wondering, you know?” He looked away from Kyle.  
“I mean… Things between u aren’t great.”  
“Kyle, Stan told me. About you and him.”  
Kyle stopped, and looked up at David, scared. “Who else knows?”  
“I was the only person he told, I think. He’s been doing pretty rough for awhile, now…” Kyle looked down at his paper. “Now, I’m not saying that you did anything wrong. From what he told me, it was wrong of him to be using you like that. But it’s been almost a month since you talked to him…”  
Kyle raised his hands to his head. “I just couldn’t handle it. This whole mess with him. I don’t know, I wasn’t sure what to do after…” Kyle lowered his hands from his face. He was looking straight ahead, to where his memories lied in front of him “After that one night.”  
Kyle thought about the evening after Kenny had first showed up at the school, bleeding and high. Kenny had put Kyle over an edge, by pronouncing his love to him. But after Kenny was able to bring him back down off the edge, Kyle was sent raving, getting everything he had inside out. There were so many things he had been keeping pent up. He hadn’t realized that with all the unhappiness he had been dealt, there was sadness inside of him he would have to transversely get out. He was bawling in Kenny’s embrace as he attempted to soothe him.  
“It’s alright, Kyle, you really don’t need to apologize for anything. Hell, I should be apologizing for how much of a mess I am, showing up here half baked.”  
“No, no, it’s my fault, everything's been my fault!” He shouted into Kenny’s shoulder, as he slowly weighed Kenny down. Kenny made his way to the ground slowly. “And… And I’m just so shitty! I’m sorry for being the worst friend, Kenny!”  
“Dude, I couldn’t have asked for a better friend over the years. You’ve been with me through sickness and through health. And I just have always wanted to do you the same.”  
Kyle curled up his legs and sat in Kenny’s lap like a child. Kenny wrapped him up as best he could. Kyle just sat there holding him and letting out emotions he chose to ignore, like sadness. He sat there, crying it out, while Kenny rubbed his back. After a good long while, Kyle snorted in one last of his gulps for air, and his breathing returned to normal, while the tears continued to stream down his face, and he looked up at Kenny and told him, “Kenny, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”  
“What do you wanna talk about?”  
Kyle pressed his head against Kenny’s chest, “Can we not do it here?”  
“Well, sure.” And with that, Kenny put a hand on Kyle’s back and beneath his legs and picked him up, stumbling a bit, and finally managing to lift Kyle and himself up.  
Kyle chuckled as he was hoisted up, “Put me down, please.”  
“Right, sure.”  
Kyle got back to his feet. The tears that had been streaming down his face had made his face wet and cold as the wind hit them. He rubbed the back of his hand against his cheeks to dry them. He turned back to his friend, “Can we go to your house?”  
“Wouldn’t your house be better?” He suggested.  
“No. It’ll be better if we do this at your place.”  
Kenny and Kyle made their way across the school to the front of the school back to the front, where Kenny had parked on top of the curb. Kyle saw it and sighed, “Kenny, what the hell?”  
“I was in a rush to pronounce my love/pick you up.” He quickly explained.  
“Alright, okay.” Kyle walked over to the passenger’s seat and opened the door. Craig was there looking back at him dead faced. They stared at each other for a minute as kenny was making his way to the driver’s seat.  
Craig eventually asked him in his sarcastic tone, “Yes?”  
Kyle raised an eyebrow at him, “I was planning on sitting there?” He told him as if that was obvious.  
“You guys were taking too long, and Tweek got tired, so he wanted a nap.” Kyle looked into the back seat, and tweek was curled up in back.  
“Well, someone’s gonna have to sit back there with him, unless you want to share a seat?”  
Craig blinked at Kyle. “You’re assuming it would be embarrassing enough to me to have you sitting in my lap that I would go back there and wake up Tweek, but I wouldn’t feel any embarrassment having you sit in my lap, because I’m not the one who’s gonna be looking like a child.”  
Kyle looked at him, annoyed, and slammed the door in his face. He took two steps to the left and opened the back seat door, where Tweek’s feet were. He gently lifted them and squeezed himself in. He looked over at Tweek, curled up against the seat, and then turned to Kenny, asking, “How high are you guys right now?”  
“Don’t worry, Kyle, this is nothing for me,” Kenny tried to reassure him. “I’ve been better, and I’ve been worse. I’m just trying not to focus on the pain in my arm right now. It got way worse after lifted you up like I did. I’ve just gotta fight through it.”  
“When we get to your place, I’ll fix you up, I promise.” Kyle told him.  
The four of them took off. Tweek was one to twitch while he slept, like a puppy. He kept jostling Kyle, which was annoying, but not annoying enough to make Kyle wake him up. He leaned up to the front seats and asked, “Are we almost at your or Tweek’s place, Craig?”  
Craig turned back, “What do you mean?”  
“To drop you guys off?”  
Craig stared at him blankly confused. “Why?”  
Kyle looked to Kenny in confusion, then turned back, “So… Kenny and I can have a conversation?”  
Craig continued to stare blankly. “And I thought we had built a trust,” He told him sarcastically.  
“He’s right, Craig,” Kenny concurred with Kyle, waving a finger at Craig. “This isn’t a conversation for you youngins.”   
Craig took hold of Kenny’s accusative finger. “Kenny,” He started, in his usual tone, with an undertone of fury, “I consider us pretty good friends at this point in time, so I’m going to tell you right now that I’m going to break your finger.”  
Kenny eeped. “Please don’t!”  
“I’m sorry, Kenny, you brought this upon yourself.”  
“No, no, no, no, no, please, I’ll never wave my finger at you again, I promise, please let go of my finger!”  
“God damn it, Craig, let Kenny’s finger go!” Kyle yelled at him from the back seat.”  
“Pinky promise?” Craig slipped his pinky between them balled up fingers of the hand preparing itself to be broken, pulling out his pinky.  
“Yes, I pinky promise, please!?”  
Craig looked at Kenny, staring back at him scared, not focusing on the road, swerving about. “Alright, fine.” And he let go of his finger.  
Kenny was panting to catch his breath, “Jesus, the fuck, Craig?”  
“You gave us pot without telling us. That is fucked up.” Kyle looked from one to the other, and gave a sigh, sitting back down in his seat.  
They pulled up in front of Craig’s house and Kyle looked over at the sleeping Tweek, and was about to jostle him awake, when Craig stopped him, “Hold up, Kyle, if you wake Tweek up, he’s gonna come out swinging.” Kyle looked up at Craig, disbelieving, but then pulled his hand back thinking that that sounded like the kind of thing Tweak'd do. Raig got out and walked around the car to the other side, where he opened the door, and put his hands on top of Tweek’s and shook him awake, calling his name, “Tweek. Tweek-”  
ANd just as he said, Tweek shot up, attempting to punch everywhere out of defense. Craig tried his best to hold his arms from hitting anything. Tweek claimed down quickly, getting a look around, and turning to see Kyle with his back against the wall, looking back at Tweek with an amount of fear visible in his eyes. “S-Sorry, Kyle.” He apologized, lowering his head, “Uh. Pot makes me sleepy.”  
“It’s cool, Tweek,” He brushed it off.  
“C’mon, Tweek, we gotta go,” Craig helped him out of the car and closed the door behind him. Kyle was alone with Kenny, now. They watched their friends make their way up to Craig’s door and enter his house, and then they turned to face one another. There was a moment of awkwardness before Kenny broke it with a smile, and removed the sense of tension, making Kyle have to close his eyes and smile back from the calm. Many things could be said about Kenny, but his smile always had a relaxing sense of it to Kyle. Seeing it was a hopeful sign, considering how much he always hid it under his jacket. These were the sort of thoughts Kyle kept thinking of, of how Kenny had always been steadfast and strong when he needed it.  
“Wanna crawl up here?” He offered.  
“Yeah,” Kyle huffed out as he lifted himself up and jumped into the passenger’s seat next to Kenny. Plopping down, the two of them took off. They drove down the road towards the other side of town. Kyle stared out the window at the houses that passed. “Kenny?” He asked in a soft voice.  
Kenny turned to Kyle, seeing him stare out at the houses passing by. He turned back to the road, He knew the answer to it. Kenny had had a lot of loves and flames. But in the end, “It’s been something I’ve wanted to tell you since we were maybe in middle school. I felt like I could be satisfied with us being friends. But there’s gonna come a time when I might never see you again, as you go off to follow your dreams. And I’ll be stuck here, struggling to support myself. So, I finally decided I wanted to follow this stupid dream that we could be together. And right about now,” He turned back to Kyle, and saw him looking at him. He couldn’t tell what he was feeling. He looked like he was hung up waiting for what he was going to say next, on the precipice of a smile, and at the same to about ready to cry, “I feel pretty good,” And he smiled at Kyle.  
Kyle ducked his head down, and tears streamed down his cheeks. He raised his head. “Kenny. I’m just gonna tell you this right now.” Kenny turned to him, and then decided to pull over to the side of the road and turn and face him for this. Kyle looked at him, but hid his head in shame, “I’ve been sleeping with Stan.” There was silence for a moment, “For a long time, now. Over a year, now, I think. I’ve been helping him cheat on Wendy. I’m… I’m sorry.”  
There was more silence. Kyle was about to pull his hands away from his face, raising his head to look back at Kenny when he was grabbed and pulled into a hug, and found himself looking up at the ceiling, totally baffled. “Now, why are you going and apologizing to me for?”  
Kyle’s arms were pinned against his chest. He took hold of Kenny’s jacket as best he could, pulling on it, crumpling up the material in fists, “I’m a terrible person!” Kyle shouted out in tears.  
“No, you’re not. You’ve been through a lot of shit. I know how you felt about Stan. Maybe even still do.”  
Kyle pressed his head against Kenny’s shoulder. He was sad, angry, tired, a lot of things at that moment, but this was the first person he’d been able to talk to about all of this, and it a relief he needed to be crying for the first time in a while, letting something out that he’d been forced to hold in. “You say that you don’t care, what if I do still have feelings for Stan? And I still go back to him.”  
Kenny took a moment and decided, You should do whatever makes you feel happy.” Kyle pressed his head hard against Kenny’s shoulder. It was a small piece of advice he hadn’t heard in awhile. Be happy.  
“Kenny?”  
“Yeah?”  
“You make me happy.”  
Kenny held him tighter. “Thank you. That means a lot.” They sat there, embracing one another, before pulling back to see each other, eye to eye, and then came together for another kiss. Kenny moved one leg up under him and then pulled away from Kyle to get up and move over into his seat on top of him. They’d stared at each other face to face.  
“I’m sorry. I can’t lie to you. I don’t know if I still have feelings for Stan at this point. Even after all of this,” He pressed his head against Kenny’s stomach, “I just don’t know. I’m sorry I’ve been crying ever since you showed up in front of me. It’s… It’s been really good to get to talk to someone about all this.” He looked back up at Kenny, looking back with his look of care, “But it’s felt like I’ve been alone in all this for so long. I’m sick of being used. Like a toy. That’s all I’ve ever been.” Kenny gave a sigh, and lied down in the seat, stretching down into the footrest and putting his head against Kyle’s chest.  
“Kyle, would you like to go for a drive?”  
Kyle looked down at the boy in his lap, “What?”  
“Kyle, I want to help get you out of yourself, right now. So, I’m suggesting we get ourselves a tank full of gas, and just drive around till we feel sated.”  
“And that’s going to help clear my head?”  
“More than you might think. I usually go for drives while high, but I wouldn’t expect you to want any of that,” He waved off the idea, “Plus, I’m still the slightest bit up, right now after what me Craig and Tweek did earlier.”  
Kyle looked off, down the row of houses in front of them, heading off towards the mountains that encapsulated their tiny town. “Actually… I think I’d like to try pot.”  
“You did pot!?” David yelled at Kyle in an indiscreet manner. The two of them were walking together after their Spanish class to their last class of the day.  
“God damn, David, could you maybe be a little louder?” Kyle complained, as he looked around for any teacher or security.  
“Right, sorry. This is all just, well, kind of shocking to hear.” David scratched at the back of his neck.  
“It’s fine, just, keep it down.”  
The two of them made their way down the stairs to the first floor. “So, what? Did you end up doing it?”  
Kyle gave a gleeful smile. “Yeah.”  
“How’d it go?”  
He giggled, “Horribly. It was… Really awesome. Kenny congratulated me for not throwing up the first time, like Craig did.”  
“Hah.” David leaned in close, “Do you think I could do it with you guys?”  
“I’ll ask Kenny about it.” He chuckled, thinking about that night. Kyle had told Kenny he didn't want to move for the rest of the night after getting high, and so he pulled out the cassette he said would be best for right now, Prince's Purple Rain, what he had said the first time he had gotten high what he wished he had listened to. They ended up driving around for hours as Kyle experienced it all. Wind blowing through his hair through the open window, cooling his hot face, Prince showing him the way through this whole journey. It was a glorious trip that Kyle was joyed to have. He couldn't help but get everything he had to say about Stan out. He told Kenny about how they started, about their times having sex, about how it was for him to have sex with his best friend, about how he hadn't eaten in so long, and desperately wanted Wendy's. And Kyle couldn't help but keep thanking him. for everything he had done and was doing with him.  
Kyle and David stood in front of Kyle’s math class.  
“So, what happened next?” David asked, wanting an end to his story.  
“Well, we just… We drove. For a long time. It felt so incredibly long. I kept talking, about everything that was stressing me out, about everything I was feeling. We listened to some great music. He played for me a bunch of classic of eighties crap, it was… It was exactly what I needed.”  
David saw how Kyle smiled, and gave a tsk as he looked off for a moment, then back to Kyle, “Look, Kyle, I’m happy for both you and Kenny, and I can see why you’ve been ignoring Stan. I get that you must be mad, and that’s a fair way to feel, but Stan still needs to talk with you. I’m both your and his friend, and I care about you both. And I can’t see Stan walking the line that he is, right now. Please. As a favour to me. Talk with him through all this. He really needs it, right now.”  
Kyle smile was gone, as David knew it would be, but was still saddened to see. He took a deep breath, and gave a quiet, “I know. I will.”  
David looked on him with sympathy, and put arm around his shoulder, trying to comfort him the best he could.  
Kenny was sitting at a lunch table with Craig, who since Tweek had gone off with his family on a local baker’s sales convention for two weeks, didn’t have a spotter he cold work with, and decided to take the time off, Token, who was having a bad day, and Jimmy. “I’m tellin’ ya, not having to lift weights every other day has been the one thing I’ve enjoyed with Tweek gone,” Craig let Kenny in on through biting at his sandwich.  
“What are ya talkin’ about, you seem like the kinda guy who’d love working out?” Kenny questioned him.  
“You kidding? I might punch a lot of guys, but i don’t think I need to be pulling muscles to kick someone’s ass. It’s just a bunch of work. It’s Tweek who loves it.”  
“Which I always find weird, for someone who covers their body in massive flannels,” Token pointed out.  
“It’s an aesthetic he’s got,” JImmy joked.  
“No,” Token snapped back, it’s not aesthetic choice, he just so happens to have been wearing the small damn flannels and button up for sixteen years, now. You’ve seen his wardrobe, it looks like an Ann Arbor lumberjack.”  
Everyone looked at Token confused. “The hell is Ann Arbor,” Craig finally asked.  
Token looked from one friend to another, “It’s a… City in Michigan. It’s got a lot of trees and natural beauty… Very charming town, you know what, never mind, forget it, Goddamn it,” he said with a huff.  
Jimmy and Craig looked at one another, “You alright, Token?” Craig asked.  
“Yeah. Yeah, just a little annoyed, is all.”  
“Is th B-B-Butters?” Asked Jimmy.  
“No. Well, kind of. But for… Different reasons. It’s complicated.” He leaned back and folded his arms.  
“Well,” Kenny took a bite from his sandwich, “Butters is a complex fella, they are.” Token glared at Kenny, a man who, even after everything that had happened between them in their weird time together in middle school, had become Butters’ closest friend once again after about a year in high school. There was a pretty good chance he knew what had been going on with Butters, lately.  
The bell rang, and people flooded out of the lunch room. Kenny was the first one to get up from the table when it rang, and seeing him on the move Token quickly followed, waving to Craig and Jimmy, “I’ll see you guys later. I gotta talk with Kenny, right now.” Jimmy and Craig watched as he chased after him quizzically.  
“What’s that ab-bout?” Jimmy asked.  
“Don’t know,” Craig answered.  
“Wanna find out?” Jimmy asked.  
“You go on ahead, I’ll catch up,” Craig answered.  
Kenny was heading to his last period when Token came up along his right. “Kenny.”  
“Token,” Kenny quickly shot back at him.  
“You and Butters have been, well, friends for a long time. What has he been talking to you about, lately?”  
Kenny raised his eyebrows, keeping his eyes in front of him, “ I’m assuming you’re not asking whether or not he’s been talking about you?”  
“No.”  
Kenny scratched at his scruffy chin, “Well, my friend, I do happen to know why you and her broke up, I’m sorry to hear about it, but I’m afraid I couldn’t help you with her if I wanted to.”  
Token’s head turned at his diction. “So, she’s told you?”  
“Oh, I’ve known for a while. She’s been deeply confused about all this since middle school. I’m happy she finally talked about it with someone else. Did you help her decide the name, she’s been talking about it a lot lately, how she wants to be referred to as Marjorine, now.”  
Token looked back out in front of them. “Yeah. I just… I’m really worried about her.”  
Kenny looked over from the corner of his eye. “The fact that you do is a good enough help. Marjie isn’t going to be able to be comfortable as long as she’s living with her parents. It’s very important that everyone who knows is there to support her and help her know this is right, because if her parents were to ever find out, they’d do a helluva job making sure she got it in her head that this is wrong, and she is wrong for thinking this.”  
“Isn’t there anything more we can do? I mean, his mom and dad don’t even know he’s, shit, she’s dated anyone, yet, let alone who. I’m just so uncomfortable with all this.”  
“If there was-” Kenny saw coming down the front hall Clyde heading right towards him and Token. “Then I’d love to do it.”  
Token saw Clyde coming, too. He stopped moving, and Kenny quickly turned around to face Token with a smile, slowly backing away. Token tried stopping him, calling out, “Wait, we still have more to talk about,” But Kenny grinned as Clyde past him by on his left.  
“Hey Kenny, hey, Token, what are you guys talking about?” He asked, standing between the two of them.  
“Nothing much, Clyde, I was just heading to class, right now,” Kenny told him with a smile, and with that he spun around on his heel away from the two of them, and saw Stan Marsh, standing a few feet away from him, staring back, looking partially dead. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and trying hard to avoid drinking, and losing a lot. The depression in his life was mounted u on him horribly. Kenny found it hard to look at him. “Oh. Hey, Stan.” He greeted him as friendly as he could.  
“Hey, Kenny. We need to talk.” He told him back in a slow, tired tone. Clyde and Token looked over, unsure what was happening.  
“Omm… Would you like to do so maybe in a little more private area?” He offered.  
“No. This won’t be long.”  
Jimmy came around the corner into the front hallway where this was happening. “Hey, fellas, what’s going on?”  
“No idea,” Clyde whispered to him, “Something seems like it’s about to go down.” The three of them looked on, as other people started taking notice of the space being occupied by a sense of aggression.  
Stan took a step closer to his friend, “You hurt me, Kenny.”  
Kenny gave a scoff and a nervous smile, “Stan. I haven’t done anything.”  
“Yes you have you know exactly what you’ve done. And I want to let you know that I know I shouldn’t be mad at you. That I had a part to play in this. But I can only be angry with you right now. I’m so… Angry.”  
“Stan…” Kenny stumbled a step back as Stan took another step, “This,” he displayed their topic of discussion holding the non physical problem up for Stan to see, “This is your fault. I hate to say that. I’m sorry how things are between us now, because of this, but what you were doing was wrong.”  
“Like you’re any better. Like you haven’t done the same.”  
“I did do the same,” he said, raising an index finger to the air, “But I didn’t keep it a secret. I confessed, and suffered the consequences of my actions.” Stan face came to life with anger as he clenched his teeth tightly together parted his lips, displaying an aggressive snarl, and tightly shutting his eyes. “And, I’m sorry, but you need to pay back what you’ve done, same as everyone does.” Stan opened his eyes, his teeth grinding towards the left, and he came running at Kenny, who screamed out, “OH, FUCK!” And took a punch to the face. Stan took hold of Kenny and started punching where he could with his right arm, trying to hit him in the stomach.  
“What the fuck is going on!?” Craig asked, catching up with his friends and seeing the measly brawl going on in the center of the hall, with people gathering around to watch and cheer.  
“Stan and Kenny are fighting!” Clyde told him heading over to the encircling.  
Upon hearing such, Craig ran over to the fight, pushing through the crowd, complaining to himself, “Sunnova bitch, god damn it Stan, you jealous motherfucker,” Grabbing Clyde on his way in and pushing through the people, turning to Clyde, yelling, “Grab Stan, I’ll hold Kenny,” And tossing Clyde inside the small encapsulation. Craig put a hand on the shoulder’s of both combatants, and pulled them apart as best he could, shoving an arm between them, “Stan you strong ass motherfucker!” and trying to pull them apart, with Clyde standing there confused, getting grabbed by onlookers and pulled back. When someone grabbed at Craig’s jacket and tried to pull him out of the fight, He turned yelling, “All of you get the fuck out of here!” Right before getting an elbow to the back of the head by Stan.  
“You stay the fuck out of this Tucker!” He heard shouted.  
Craig was now tired of this, and shoved his arm in between Stan beating on Kenny, and shoved himself fully between them, lifting up Stan and tossing him like a toy. Stan fell to the ground, trying to lift himself up on his elbows, before getting kicked to the ground by Craig. People were shouting all around them, before Token walked up and shouted, “Everybody, shut the hell up, and get to your goddamn classes!” As loud and powerful as he could. Everyone around them quickly dispersed, and Clyde jumped in, grabbing Stan by the arms and lifting him up and holding him back.  
“The hell is wrong with you, Stan!?” Craig yelled at him, supporting Kenny, acting as his crutch as he held his stomach. His face was black and he’d cut his cheek, bleeding pretty bad.  
“What in god was this all about!?” Token demanded of Stan.  
Stan was panting for air, looking down at the feet he was dragging. “It doesn’t matter to you.”  
“Token, Clyde, I’m taking Kenny to the nurse. Let’s go.” Token turned and walked over to him, and Stan got his feet on the ground and shook himself loose of Clyde, who also ran to Kenny’s side.  
Token turned and pointed to Stan, “You need to get your act together. It’s time to move on from Wendy.” And he turned away. Jimmy waited for them to reach him still standing by the corner.  
“Wh-what was all that about?”  
Craig looked to Jimmy at his left, and then turned to Kenny who was stumbling along with Craig’s help. He raised his bleeding head to Craig’s. “You wanna tell them?”  
Kenny looked back down. “There are some things you guys should know about Stan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm straying more and more from my own interpretation of Tusk.


	12. That's Enough for Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so, umm... Sorry about the delay. I, uh. I feel like a real piece o' shit for this one. I just... School's been fucking atrocious, so I couldn't be doing this, even at a time when I was really wanting to. I hope you can enjoy this, no matter. It's, uhh, It's a big mushy Creek part. Next time, it'll also be about a small time pair, I think. It'll be a few chapters before we get back to our main six intrepid heroes. *In the distance* What does intrepid mean! *header narrator* what? OH, uhh, I don't. I think it means like exploratory? Anyway, have some Creek

Craig and Jimmy were working the counter of Tweak Bros Monday morning. Other than Token, who had shown up after finding out he was the only one not working at the store and felt bad for not helping, but no longer felt bad after seeing how the two of them were running the place, it was just about empty. Jimmy was hobbling over to Token, saying, “So, I’ve got a hypothetical.”  
“No, JImmy, not another,” Token groaned.  
“No, no, alright, th-this one’s important. I’ve gotta get a da-d-definitive answer on this. So, Token.”  
He shook his head, “What, Jimmy?”  
“You are the proprietor to a haunted house. You find out it’s haunted m-maybe two months int-to your ownership. So, you want t-to make contact with this ghost. You get one of those ghost voice rec-corders, you go int-to your haunted house with it, you just keep getting this… ‘wh-wh-when stormy weather comes around, it w-was made in heaven. When sunny skies break through the behind the clouds, I wish it could last forever, yeah. Wish it could last foreverrr, Foooreeeverrrr.”  
Token shook his head again, “What?”  
“Queen lyrics,” Craig explained, eating a bagel.  
“Exactly, your house is haunted by lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury, the late and g-great.”  
“Okay?” Token told him confused, “Look, Jimmy, I’ve never really listened to Queen.”  
Jimmy was stopped by his friend’s statement. He stared at Token, baffled. “Ho-How have… You never…” Jimmy never finished his sentence. He just turned away from Token and headed out the door.  
Craig and Token watched him leave, “Is he gonna be alright?” Token asked.  
“He’ll need a minute. He’s very sure about his cultural standards that everyone has at least listened to Queen. This isn’t the first time this has happened. It happened with Clyde maybe two years ago. Almost beat his ass that time. I cooled him off.’ Craig turned back to Token, “So, Token, Any big news?”  
“Like I’ve been saying, there’s nothing left to talk about. I’m good. Would you guys please stop asking?”  
“Right, course.” Craig went about washing out a coffee cup like how you’d see an old fashioned barkeep doing. “You’d have to convince Clyde of that, though.”  
Token sighed in a pouty fashion. He then took on a tone of surprise, “Actually, I haven’t seen Clyde much. Lately.”  
“Y’see? This ain’t over until he gets his word in. So you might have to sit on it a bit longer.”  
Token cocked his head at Craig, “Sit on it?”  
There was a pause as Craig realized his diction was coming into question. “Yeah, what about it?”  
“That feels like something a youth from the year 1954 might say.”  
Craig sniffed, “So? What’s wrong with the 1950’s? Other than a few glaring things about the 1950s. They had… Pompadours… Rock and roll, Elvis, Johnny Burnette and the rock and roll trio-”  
“Who?”  
“Rockabilly group that helped create rock and roll with their mix of styles, slash, mainstreaming of african american music to white America. They’re like Elvis Presley, except they were kind of forgotten.”  
“Hm.”   
“Y’know what, Token, I don’t need your sarcasm, right now.”  
Token raised his head out of his hands, “My sarcasm? You’re the one who always sounds sarcastic. And, and you’re gonna call me sarcastic!?” Craig looked up from his counter to Token, but didn’t say anything. “Alright, I’m out. I’m gonna go home and play some goddamn X box.”  
Craig watched as Token stormed off like jimmy before him. “Aaand I’m alone.” He walked over to the lightswitch and turned the place dark so customers would be put off from coming in. Craig leaned against the counter, listening to the loud music he was playing over the speakers, whistling along. His phone suddenly buzzed. He gave a slow blink and then reached down into his pocket, pulling it out, and seeing it was Tweek, quickly answered. “Hey, Tweek, how have you been?”  
There wasn’t a quick response. Craig could hear the breathing from the other end, loudly and exasperated sounding, “H-Hey, Craig. Um… I’m… I’m all alone.”  
Craig turned down the music in the cafe on his phone, “Tweek, what do you mean?”  
“I… I’m alone. I’ve been alone for too long. I… I’m scared.”  
“Tweek, where are you?”  
“I’m in the hotel room. I don’t know where my parents are. I’ve been here all day. I can’t get out of bed. Craig, help.”  
“Alright, tell me what town you’re in, right now.” Craig walked out from behind the counter and out the shop, locking the door behind him,   
“Um… I don’t know. I think we’re in, uh, some town called Primm. It’s outside Las Vegas. There’s a roller coaster. I think this is the hotel from Fallout New Vegas. I guess that it’s a real place.”   
“That’s awesome. How long have you been there?” Craig climbed into his parent’s car in front of the coffee shop and got driving, plugging his phone into the car charger and starting putting the phone on speaker on top of his dash. He then put on some music playing on low so that it could be heard but wouldn’t interrupt the conversation. He then searched Primm in maps. It shaped up to be a ten hour car ride.  
“Uh, we got here just yesterday after leaving Las Vegas. This trip has been pretty terrible. Oh god, I feel like utter shit.”  
“Just talk it out. I’m here for you.” Craig got onto the highway going at least about 80, rolling through traffic faster than could be properly registered by those he flew past. After maybe half an hour on the road, Craig saw a traffic jam up ahead, and the cars in toe of such piled far back. But Craig knew the dimensions of his vehicle well, and could place a perfect, if not dangerously small, opening in a line of cars. Looking onto the upcoming jamm, he continued speaking to Tweek, “There’s nothing for you to worry about, Tweek, you can get through this, you’re strong,” and found his next openings. The smallest line was the far right of the four lanes available, but center right was trying to get into the far right lane two cars in. There was a difference in the positioning of the car in back of the lane center right and center left, and so he took advantage of the opportunity he saw, and got into the center left lane, then braking hard right at the last second, swerving through the two cars, get honked at all around, and veering back, hard, into the Center left, taking advantage of the gap he had seen created by the car entering the far right. He then pulled the car to a stop, and waited. He couldn’t see any, but he could hear the loud honking of his neighbors at his lack of respect for the road. He could hear the person in the lane to his right banging on his window, leaning out of his own car.  
“What’s that noise? Is someone at your door?” Tweek asked  
“Listen, Tweek, I’m gonna have to hang up for just one minute, this won’t take long.” and Tweek hung up as he asked. Craig then lowered the window and looked out at the man.  
“Hey, what’s your problem, you reckless kid!? You almost killed everyone you passed!”  
“Please keep your arms and legs inside your vehicle at all times, sir,” Craig responded.  
“Are you being smart with me, you little brat? You got a problem?”  
“Sir, I very seriously recommend you move fully back into the vehicle, before you get yourself hurt.” Craig then turned away and rolled his window back up. The man remained outside Craig’s window looking furious. A a car in the far right lane lurched and Craig recognized his opportunity was coming.  
“Hey, no, you look at me, you little bitch, don’t you dare roll your window up at me!” But it was too late. Craig whipped into the next open spot and flung himself outside of the lanes, one wheel in the mud, cutting it close to the cement separators between the left and the right, pulling in front of another two cars, looking to his far ahead to his right to get a look at the car getting towed, and then back on the road. Thirteen seconds, and he merged back in, halfway through the jam. He pulled immediately between two cars too thin to fit his car between them, scraping his side along the rear bumper of one. He came to a lurch for a moment, as he was stuck right near the front. He was heading maybe less than five miles an hour at the moment. Craig could look out in front of him and see the opening up of the road. He turned away from the road for a moment and picked up his phone, sitting in the drink holder, and quickly opened it up. Scrolling through, he went into his music and skimmed through to find Gorillaz. He then put on Plastic Beach. He then reached over to his glove compartment and knocked it open. In it was half a pack of Marlboros and a fancy PAX vape, prefilled with good herbs. He looked back up at traffic, and then back at the vape.  
“Yeah, now’s a good time,” And he pulled out the vape and got it heating up, placing it on his dash and lighting a cigarette, and closing up the compartment. He looked back out at the road and finally pulled out into the left lane, driving free to the sound of Snoop Dogg’s dulcet voice.  
Craig looked out at the open sprawling roads of somewhere in Utah going 80, high as a cloud, with Kendrick Lamar blasting. He’d been driving maybe three hours, keeping his high going, looking out at the open road. He and Tweek had been talking for an hour, Craig’s music in the background, keep them both grounded. Craig pulled into a gas station and rolled up to the um, hopping out and stumbling a bit to get stable on his feet. He then reached back into his car and hit a compartment on the car ceiling and grabbed a pair of sunglasses that descended from the sunglass holder, tossing his mother’s sunglasses she uses whenever she’s riding high. She was the one who taught Craig everything he needed to know about pot, since pot was what was keeping her sane at this point. Thank god for living in Colorado.  
Craig put a hand to his back pocket to see if his wallet was there, fortune had it it was, so he went over to the pump and started fueling up his car. He looked about and then down at his pocket. “Haven’t smoked in two hours.” He told himself. “I gotta smoke less. Need to more strictly conform to a four hour interval minimum before cigarettes.” He pulled the pack out of his jacket pocket. Holding it up to the light and slowly turning it over, he opened it up and pulled out another cigarette. As he smoked, he told himself, “I suck.”  
As Craig leaned against the side of his car smoking, another car pulled in behind him. He watched it roll up behind him, but then turned back to stare in front of him. It was very peaceful out here in the middle of this arid section of America. The wind was blowing, and the Sun was going down in the West, where Craig drove towards. Everything seemed so peaceful. Then, Craig heard the muttering of the man getting out of his car, as he slammed his door shut.   
Craig looked over and saw the guy angrily fumble through his pockets trying to find his wallet, aggressively paying for his gas and getting the pump in his car. He looked around the area, rubbing his face with his hand to clear the sweat away. Then, his gaze fixated on Craig in astonishment. He tried stepping over the pump, tripping a bit, and stumbling, but focusing angrily on Craig, charging at him before Craig noticed this man coming aggressively at him and turned abruptly to face him. “Hey, you piece o’ sht, I remember you!” The man yelled at Craig, running right up into his face, with his finger right in front of him.  
Craig pushed him back, “WHo the hell are you?” He asked.  
“You’re that asshole who was drifting through traffic earlier, and told me to get back in my car!”  
Craig stared at him with very little understanding, like he sounded insane. But after about a minute, it came back to him, and with a blink and a raise of the eyebrows, he said, “Oh yeah, you were leaning out of your car like some kinda idiot, so I told you to get back in your car. Right?”  
“What!? You’re accusing me, you were flying through traffic like a madman!”  
“I probably didn't go faster than twenty miles an hour, and I had that shit under control. Couldn’t possibly hurt someone in a car.”  
That man’s face shifted and rifted in anger at Craig. “I swear to god, you piss of shit, I don’t need your bullshit attitude, right the fuck now. I suggest you god damn cut that shit out, right fuckin’ now,” the man threatened Craig.  
Craig looked to his gas pump. He had maybe a minute more before his tank was full. “Is there anything else you would like to say, good sir?”  
The man fumed out air like he was thinking it was steam from his nostrils. “You better watch yourself, you little mutherfucker!” He pressed his finger against Craig’s chest. And with that, Craig pressed the back of his legs against the tube of the gas pump, and bent at the knees, making careful not to pull out the cord, turning to his side, keeping his arms at his side, looking at the side of his car, seeing the ground out of his peripheral vision, tightening up his chin, and at the last second, lifting his arm up but not making it up to cover his face, falling onto his shoulder, and with a jolt, thinking for a moment he had managed to avoid smashing his head, but that was just a moment spent in time frozen, before the sudden pain of bashing his head against the ground. There was a rock in his shoulder, and he had a headache, as things were blurry from the hit right to the temple, but he was alright for the most part. Craig put his hand to his head. He could see that the rock in his shoulder had cut through his shirt and a bit into him, drawing blood, but he swiped away the rock as he moved his legs over the tube and crawled around on the ground, “Aggravated assault.”  
“What!?”  
“I’m claiming an aggravated assault. Yelling, and pushing me down, that’s an attack on me. You threatened me and what not. Aggravated assault.”  
“I barely even touched you!”  
“I suggest you let this all go, before things go any further.”  
“I will actually kick your ass you little snot, so help me god!”  
“You attacked me first. I have a right to kick your ass.” Craig clambered to his feet and dusted himself off, rubbing his aching head. He confirmed again that it wasn’t bleeding, and then cracked his neck. “If you want to do this, meet me on the other side of the car. Don’t wanna unplug the pump.”  
“Alright, fine.” the man said, and point his finger at Craig once again, “I’m about to kick your ass, he threatened, and then walked around to the other side of Craig’s car.Craig watched him walk away, and then looked at the gas pump. It had finished. Craig nozzle out of his car and put it back, closing his tank cover and hopping into his passenger seat, scooching over to the driver’s and seeing the man waiting just outside, pulling his jacket of aggressively. AS Craig got the minivan started, the man turned around angrily and ran up to Craig window knocking at it furiously. Craig pressed his middle finger against the glass and drove off, leaving the man in his dust.  
“Hello, 911? Yes, a man just assaulted me at a gas station. Yes. Somewhere near Kaibito, off of 98. Yes, I know the plate,” Craig told an officer over the phone as he drove along.  
Time flied by Craig as he drove along the open road in the wee hours of the morning somewhere in Nevada. “Yeah, I’m tellin’ ya,” He was telling Tweek, “It’s beautiful outside. This warm air, it must be just exactly what I need. I was made for this kind of warm weather. I can’t lie to you, I actually have no idea where I am.”  
“What, you’re lost!?” Tweek cried out in fear.  
“I’m fine, I’m lost very close to you, so things’ll be fine.” Craig told him as he looked up at the Buffalo Bill hotel and casino and pulled into the parking lot.   
“Do you see any buildings!? There are so few around here.”  
“Uhh, I think I’m close. I’m seeing it come over the horizon. What’s your room number?” He asked, quietly popping his door open.  
“Gahh, what was that!?” Tweek yelped.  
“Oh, I, uhh, I think I’m here. Was there a valet when you got here, cause there a valet here asking for my keys?” He told him back, heading into the lobby of the Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino.  
“What, N-No! They don’t work here don’t give them your keys!? My god, are you sure that’s Primm!?”  
“Nah, it, uhh, it might actually be Vegas.”  
“Vegas!? What the hell are you doing in Vegas, I thought you said you’d already gotten outta Vegas!”  
“Don’t worry, honey, I might be in the center of Times Square here, but I’m gonna be Escaping L.A.!”  
There was a pause on the phone, then, “Escape from L.A.?”  
And then, Craig thought about Las Vegas, “Y-yeah?” Craig feared the worst.  
“L.A. stands for Los Angeles.” Things had come to worst for Craig, there might’ve still been a way out.  
“Yeah, I knew that. I know those are two separate things, I just wanted to make the reference.”  
“... Why, though? Are you really in Vegas, are you trying to tell me your in Vegas as a DECOY, ARE YOU REALLY RIGHT OUTSIDE MY DOOR-”  
“Wait, Tweek-” Craig tried to quickly explain Tweek his intentions as he walked down the hall as the bell attendant had told him, but Tweek was already estimating which himself.  
“ARE YOU PLANNING TO AMBUSH ME!?” Craig neared the number he’d been told, and was reaching for the knob to come in before Tweek came to the worst choice. “NO, YOU DON’T!?” Tweek had come to the second worst decision, and had jumped five feet from his hotel room bed to his door and kicked it ajar while Craig stood with his hand on the knob, and getting kicked back to the wall behind him. Tweek then delicately floated down to the floor with an aggressive huff, and then, “OH MY GOD, CRAIG, I’M SO SORRY!” and getting down to the floor, “Are you alright!? I got carried away, I’m having such a BAD TIME, like, OH GOD, I cannot stand it! I’m so alone out here in this desert!”  
Tweek collapsed in Craig’s lap on the floor. Craig laid dazed on the floor with his head against the wall when he realized Tweek was having a breakdown on top of him. He wrapped him up in his arms and brushed his head back and forth to get some sense into it after the knock. He closed his eyes tight and then squinted one open and looked down at him and said “I’m so sorry. Let’s get you inside.”  
Craig struggled to his feet and then hoisted Tweek’s tiny body up and placed him on the bed where he sat down next to him. He rubbed his arm gently and stared forward at the wall, eyes soft. Tweek looked up at his careless face and he felt a sense of calming, knowing this person he trusted wasn’t worried. He looked back down at his hand and placed them against his eyes rubbing away tears. He was breathing heavy, but sat up straight and then took one hand away from his eyes to rub the stubble he let grow because he liked to not shave. It made him felt manly. He wiped his nose clean of snot and took a big huff. He placed his head on Craig’s shoulder. Craig glanced down at him and then back at the wall, rubbing his hand through Tweek’s hair. Tweek was breathing abnormally hard, so Craig pulled his hand back and lowered it down his back, until it hovered over the middle of Tweek’s back, which made him yelp a bit before laying into it. He rubbed gently until Tension was being relieved on his back before adding a hand against the front of Tweek’s chest, rubbing him gently, holding him together for a minute. Then, Craig laid the blonde little teen down on his back, where he relaxed, letting Craig rub his stomach and lie down on his back next to him, now staring at the ceiling. Tweek turned on his side and looked up at Craig, he glanced over at him with a twinkle of light in his eyes.  
Tweek let out a “Thank you.” Then a “thank you for being here. I’m… I’m so happy you’re here for me! I don’t know anyone else who would have had come all the way out here for me.”  
“Anytime,” He told him and looked back up at the ceiling, trying to pretend he had only done it on a whim, wanting to keep his cool that keeps Tweek calm. Tweek hugged him dearly, pressing his head against his arm and letting out a groan.  
“My parents hadn’t refilled my T perscription! I can’t use my hormone medicine during the trip!”  
Craig looked down at his boyfriend who met his eyes back. “You don’t mean what I think you mean, do you!?” Tweek asked, scared out of his mind.  
“Oh, yes, I mean.”  
“YOu’re gonna fake prescription signature to try and get me testosterone!?” Tweek shouted aloud.  
“I mean,” Craig gave a shrug, “I wasn’t thinking that, but now, I’m gonna.”  
“What, no, what am I saying, you can’t do that!”  
“Alright, then I won’t. What do you want me to do?”  
“Nothing! Just… Don’t be a doofus right now, okay? I need something solid.”  
“Got it. I understand. Nothing to worry about. I’ve got this.” Craig told him.


	13. Brown Eyes

“So you guys are coming back?” Token asked Craig across the phone.  
“Yeah, you’ll see us in maybe two days.” Craig told him.  
“Dude, you could’ve told someone you’d left. It’s been,” Token looked down at his wristwatch, “twenty hours! We’ve all been worried out of our minds!”  
“Aw, geez, thanks, mom,”  
“This is not a mom situation!” Token pointed his finger accusatively at his phone, “You disappeared out of thin air, everyone was worried!”  
“Was Clyde worried?” Token held his stance against the phone, unable to respond, “What did Clyde say?”  
Token hesitated, “He said you’d probably just gone to check on Tweek.”  
“And you didn’t believe him?”  
“Alright, you don’t need to be a dick about it!” Token yelled at him. “Why didn’t you call me, if you called Clyde!?”  
“I didn’t call Clyde, and that’s the point. You coulda figured.”  
Token placed the palm of his hand to his head. “I am so tired. I am the only one in our group that sleeps like a normal person, and I am also the only one who ever says ‘I am so tired,’ why is that, Craig?”  
“We like to keep you on your toes. How are things going with Butters?”  
“Token removed his hand, “Why do you ask?”  
“Juuust curious. I’ll be seeing you soon, man.”  
“Yeah... right.” Token’s friends always kept Token wary. It was better than staying around Stan after football. But ever since Cartman was generally shamed out of their group, the weird potential of South Park had drifted throughout the town with no center to its misfortune. Though everyone in town was always a victim of the town’s oddities, it was generally accepted in Token’s grade that the center of the epidemic was Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman. But that group split and there was a power gap in the town. THe kind of power gap that no one wanted to fill. So, in the aftermath, weirdness spread over the town. In the following few months that Stan and Kyle had pushed Cartman out of their group, sometime in middle school, he thought, an extreme amount of stranger than usual events started occurring to everyone, and TOken believed he was the only one making the connection, being the only person smart enough and far enough away from the matter while also knowing all important parties to notice.  
None of Token’s friends were strangers to what was going on. Tweek and Craig suspected the weirdness of South Park had its own life, an energy of it’s own, like Twin Peaks, they’d said, with desires of it’s own. But neither of them wanted to get involved. Token was curious, but he very much had a hard limit. When there were reports of a group of third graders gone missing in middle school, one reported found dead, Token knew it was time to not ask questions. He thought he knew enough about what the weird wanted. The town somehow seemed to forget about the missing fourth graders, since the other three were never found. Token always thought the weirdness of the town had a certain taste for that age. Token thought somewhere in South Park, there must be four kids who took up the slack Stan’s group had dispersed, even now.  
Token raised his head and looked about. He’d gone from shouting at his phone to standing in place, silently, captured in the potential horror that is ensured by living in South Park, all while in the middle of the hall of his high school. He looked about and saw David saw no one around until he made a full round about and saw David standing behind him. He was looking at him with a curiosity. “You alright, man?” He asked.  
Token glanced away for a moment, just assessing for himself whether he was or not. “Yeah. You?”  
David cocked his head at him in confusion. “Uhh… Yeah? You ready for class?”  
“Oh. Yeah.”  
“Good, then let’s get going.” David closed his locker and walked past Token. Token watched him walk for a second, then put his hands in his pockets and walked after him, looking at them ground. “How’ve you been lately?” David inquired, “We don’t talk enough, I don’t know if I know anything that’s been going on in your life, lately.”  
Token gave a sigh, “It’s been weird. Did you know Craig took off last night?”  
“What!?” David said Token looked to see there was an actual look of fright.  
“Oh, oh no, he’s coming back. He didn’t just run away forever, it isn’t a situation like that.” Token gave a second thought, “God, I hope. But yeah, that’s who I was just on the phone with thanks for waiting with me, by the way.” the two of them headed up the stairs. “Damn, how late to class are we?”  
“I don’t know, I’d say pretty late. You were on the phone for a while.”  
“I wanted to make sure they were okay,” he defended himself.  
“Alright, fair enough. Well, tell me about it?”  
“Ah, nothing too interesting there. He’d just decided to take off to Nevada in the middle of the day to his make sure Tweek was okay. The kind of thing I should have just come to expect from him. This really shouldn’t surprise me.”  
“Eh, what’s life without surprise,” David pointed out with a shrug. “Like today, I wasn’t expecting to be late to class, but here I am with you,” He gave a chuckle.  
“Hey, I’m sorry, alright?” Token said defensively.  
“Dude, I’m just kidding. I don’t mind being late. I mean, I kind of do, but walkings nice. Sorry, back to Craig?”  
“Not much more to say. Calls me this morning, err, whatever five minutes ago was,”  
“I’d say afternoon,” David suggests.  
“Right, calls me this afternoon to tell me he’s on his way back with Tweek, I didn’t even know he’d gone to pick up Tweek when he told me that, nor did anyone else, I should mention.”   
“Sounds about what I’d expect.”   
“Not much else to tell there honestly. And I haven’t really been getting into anything myself since Marjorine decided she needed some time alone.”  
David and Token were at the door of AP Physics. David had his hand on the knob, but paused before pulling it open. Token look down at his hand then back up on eye level. “What’s up?” He asked, trying to look through the tiny window. David turned around and the words Token had breezed passed him that had caught on him drifted back around with him.  
“Who is Marjorine? And weren’t you dating Butters?”  
Token raised his brow. “Oh. Uh, Butters IS Marjorine.”  
David held those three words in his head for second to process them while continuing to hold the door shut. “Alright. Will make sure to remember that.” And with that, David opened the door, turning to see the teacher staring at him and Token. The both of them took turns glancing at the teacher and then the class. “Umm.”  
“I shouldn’t say I’m surprised to see you two showing up late. Please, you two, don’t hold up the class any longer,” the teacher asked them with an air of superiority.  
“Right.” David complacently agreed.   
The two of them headed to their desks where they sat next to one another as the teacher continued their class. The two of them had made a realization a long time ago that their physics teacher was most certainly racist, and had come to terms with that, considering they were the only children of color in the class, the only two that had been in town since elementary school, and now in high school, which combined the three most nearby counties, still in the minority group by a just smaller margin. They couldn’t stop their teacher and needed the grade, so, like many a times before, they’d have to sit by and let it happening, singing along with Primus, Welcome to this World. This was the reason he wasn’t surprised by their lateness, which was based on no other previous actions, he’d just always displayed a general discontent for the two of them in particular, which made talking in class particularly impossible while still attempting to learn something.  
Class continued as the two of them sat in general silence next to one another. They had to juggle not being too hasty to answer every question they with answering some, you couldn’t seem too much smarter than everyone else around you without seeming lazy, because Mr. Danough would bust you for both. The two of them had learned to account for all kinds of weird racism in the town. David took notes on one page while writing in his day planner a message to Token. Token looked looked up at the teacher, then down at his notes, seeing out of his peripheral where his hand was. He was also busy taking notes at the moment. He looked back up at Mr. Danough. About a minute later, he checked in again. David had a new message for him. He looked over. “When did you and Marjorine break up?”  
Token looked up at the teacher, continuing his work on his notes. After a quarter of a minute, he reached into his bg and pulled out his day planner and flipped to a back page, writing down “it’s been about a two weeks. Sorry I didn’t tell you.” Token went back to the notes on his page. He kept glancing out the window to see David better, for when he’d know he’d read the letter. Having seen him do so after about a minute, he added something that looked like letters to the page, and then pulled it out of the agenda, folding it in half and putting it in his pocket to make it seem like it was an important note for later. A lot of the steps the two of them took were extra precautionary, to make sure to better cover any tracks. All messages they made in this class had to be the most vital parts of conversation. David was a pretty good actor, he knew how to make it seem like he was deep in thought on any note, but that it also related to the class, with an engaged look at the professor that managed to give an impression of respect, and an attentive nod as he wrote the notes in his agenda. Token glanced down. “Did something happen?”  
“No, it’s nothing much.” Token returned to his notes, but paused, holding his pencil against the paper mid word. He returned his pencil to the notebook, “Alright, it has to do with the fact that Butters is now Marjorine.” Token looked down at his writing, and he picked up the notebook, putting it on top of his science notes. “Okay, that’s not what I mean. It’s Marjorine’s parents. Marjorine is worried that they’ll find out about all of this, including the Marjorine part, and the fact that there was a me in that equation. It’s just,” Token paused and tapped his pencil against his chin to think his next thought through. “That if we stayed together any longer, she’s worried that something horrible might happen. It’s hard to hide things from people like But Marjorine’s parents. You’re good enough friends with her to know what I’m talking about.” Token put the pad back down for David to read. David had been watching him write with a curiosity for a while, and immediately took to reading his message.  
David took a minute to think of how to respond to Token. There was a good five minutes where he couldn’t focus, wanting to give the best advice he could. He looked back down as Token moved his hand back over to the almost filled up page, and filled in the tiny space at the bottom with the words “You are the first person I’ve really told all this”  
David put his pencil to his page. “I know Marjorine is a very special person. They’ve always been very kind to me, and one of the more respectful people in town to me in general. I want both her to be happy, and you, too, but you know what isolation can do to someone at a time like this. B Marjorine has been through a lot, but being alone is one of the hardest things to go through. Comfort and acceptance at a time like this is important.” David took the pencil away from the pad, unsure how to continue his thought. The space next to his last word was blackened from three attempts at providing more advice, but not being sure what to say.  
“Any suggestions?” token asked back.  
“I don’t know,” David wrote him. “You’re on your own there.”  
Class came to an end, and Token walked out behind everyone else with his head hung low. David followed up behind him, watching him mope. He hurried up alongside him. “Token?”  
“I’m worried about her. I haven’t talked to her since the break up. I want to be respectful, but no one else is there for her, i don’t think. And you’re right, she does need someone there for her, but should I really be the one?”  
David looked about. He had yet to find the best words to provide as advice to his friend. “Look. Maybe it’d be a bad idea to go and talk with them,” he started without full confidence, “But how much more could it hurt? If they need someone, you should go talk with them. Let them know you’re there for them.”   
Token let out a sigh. “That’s actually not such a bad idea. Yeah, you’re probably right. I wonder if the buses have left, yet.”  
“Be worth running to go check,” David suggested.  
“Alright.” Token took a few quick steps forward with determination before turning back and waving to David, “I’ll catch you later, man.” He said, running off.  
“Yeah, see you.”

Everyone was hustling to the front of the school to get on their buses and head home. David was one of the few heading back against the crowd, making his way to the doors in back. He exited the building, and looked about. There were way fewer people out back. David didn’t like having to make his way through the big crowd.  
David was never exactly comfortable in the town of South Park. He was one of the biggest outliers at all times. He never really grew too close with any of the cliques. He might’ve been everyone’s friend, but he wasn’t sure how many of the other kids were his friend. He knew for certain that, of everyone in town Kyle was his best friend, and the person he hung out with the most, but Stan was always Kyle’s best friend, and when he wasn’t, Kenny probably was. David was the second best friend at best, and that didn’t feel great to know. He once told Kyle this, maybe when they were fourteen, and Kyle tried to tell him he mattered to him just as much as any of his other friends, but Kyle always meant something more to him than any of his other friends, and he wanted that to be reciprocated on the levels he saw it with Stan. He knew how Kyle felt towards him, and knew they wouldn’t change, but he couldn’t help but hope. Beyond Kyle, David never was too close with any of the guys in South Park. He liked Kenny well enough. They had the same problem of having to work for their families all the time, except it meant something a little different for the two of them, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was competing with him for Kyles affection at times. Butters, he’d enjoyed being friends with, but he hung out with him way less when he and Kenny broke up. Token and his gang were nice enough to him, too. Craig and Tweek were pretty good friends, and since he’d started playing football with him, David had warmed up to Clyde, seeing him to be a harmless idiot who meant well. He’d wished he’d spent more time with them all in middle school, but back then, he’d just stuck around Kyle as much as he could.  
Of course, beyond his friends, and his family, which included his baby sister, Isabella, who was in middle school, now, and his cousin, Jessica, who’d been living with them for six years, David didn’t exactly enjoy all the people in his home town. South Park had always seemed hostile towards him. When his family first moved to town, he was met with harassment from anyone who would happen to walk into his family's’ restaurant. If he didn’t have Kyle, he wouldn’t have had anyone. Over the years, the hostility boiled down, and only people who were real malignant racists were so blatant with their hatred. Everyone else in town met his family with a weird, ignorant kindness he’d come to expect from a tiny mountain town that was ninety to ninety five percent white. So he wasn’t comfortable. But, like a toad being slow boiled alive, he grew accustomed to the burning sensation.  
David walking home today. The walk took over an hour, but he had his music and didn’t have to work today, so this was the best way he could imagine spending his time. He looked from behind the school to the front. He watched as the buses drove off, and then started walking towards the front of the school. He swiped open his phone and took up his itunes list. Selena was option one, option two was De La Soul, his two big favorites. Both were tempting, so he was pretty stuck over the matter. He made it to the front of the building, just looking back from one option to the other. He stood at the end of the sidewalk and looked up to check both ways, only to see token in the fancy BMW his parents had bought him when he’d gotten his license.  
Token had clambered over his seats to lean out the window to reach David. “Hey David!” Token called out to his friend. David snapped out of being deep in thought by Token’s shouting. “David!”  
David quickly pulled his headphones off, “I’m not actually listening to music, Token,” He shouted, holding his headphones up.   
“Oh, sorry.” Token apologized, raising his brow. “Do you usually walk home?” He asked, looking down the road.   
“Uhhh…” Thinking his days over, there was a solid split between getting driven home by parents after football practice, and the days he didn’t have practice, walking home, getting back in time for his shift at Nueva Familia till closing. “Not… Always?”  
“Uhh.” Token scratched at the back of his head, “This might be a weird offer, but, would you want to come with me to, I don’t know, Marjorine’s?” David was taken back by the offer. He looked down at his feet. HIs shoes were made of a brown leather. They had an inch high heel. David wasn’t by any means short, he was up there with the best of them in height, the point of the heel was purely stylistic. The shoes had a high neck like cowboy boots, with a baroque ornamentation, and a leather and metal strap around the heel and ankle, meant to hold the place of a spur. These shoes costed him three hundred hard earned dollars, and he wore them often. He had a sense of pride in them. THey were a defining part of his style, whether others noticed them or not. He did not want to walk home in them, because they were uncomfortable as fuck to walk in. And beyond that, he did appreciate the offer, and would honestly enjoy helping in any way he could.   
“Yeah. That’d be nice.” David hopped into Token’s car and asked, “Could you put on De La Soul?”  
“Who?” He asked back.  
The question slapped David in the face, almost pushing him back out of the car. “You don’t know De La Soul!?”  
“Should I? I’m sorry?”  
“Gimme your phone…”

Token and David took the long way back to South Park, which involved driving to the other side of South Park, to drive in on the only other road that entered South Park. “I really hate South Park,” Token stated as they finally entered the town. They had to waste some time so Marjorine could get home on the bus before they got there. The two of them drove through the housing section listening to the Anonymous Nobody. The two of them sat in appreciation. Token turned to David, pointing at the radio, “This lady, she sounds familiar,” he said.  
“It’s Estelle. She did that song, My American Boy.” David tried explaining.  
“Oh, I remember that. Wasn’t that a Kanye song?”  
“Well, yeah, he was in it, but he was just, like, featured. It was an Estelle song.”  
Token made a little o with his mouth, nodding and turning back to the road. “What else has she done?”  
David gave a shrug, “I don’t know, that’s, like, her one hit. I don’t know anything else.”  
“Kay.” The car pulled off the road to the right, onto the curb. Token looked out the window. Marjorine’s house was just across the street from them. The both of them stepped out of the car. David made sure to touch his heel to the ground first before clacking his bridge down. Token walked across the street and on the grass up to his ex’s stoop, turning back to wait for his friend. David put one foot on the first step and looked up at Token, giving him a single nod of confidence. Token looked back out at horizon beyond the rows of houses, and gave a nod to it, before turning and ringing the doorbell. There were a few moments where the two of them stood in anticipation. Token even looked back once more, but he couldn’t turn back anymore. He would have to wait. He turned back to the door and once more raised his hand to the doorbell. He was preparing himself to ring it once more, but before he extended a single finger to the buzzer, he put his hand against the wall to keep David from seeing him being nervous. After what felt like a good while since his first ring, Token gave a second. The door was swung open to reveal Mrs. Stotch. She looked with confusion upon the young man at the bottom of her stoop before looking to the one at the buzzer.  
“Oh, Token, it’s good to see you.” She said with a bit of hesitation in her voice. “Um, who is this young boy with you?” She followed up, gesturing to the Latino boy behind him.  
They looked to one another before turning back to her. “I’m David. David Rodriguez?” He waited for her to recognize her. She just tried to keep up a pleasant smile. “I’ve been friends with Mar-uh,Butters for years.”  
“Really? Hm, well then.” She turned back to Token, “Is there something the, uh, two of you wanted here?”  
Token put both of his hands behind his back, “We just wanted to talk with Butters. Are they here?”  
“Well, that depends on what you want to talk with him about?” David looked away for moment to remove himself from this scene and evaluate what she had just said.  
“It’s just about schoolwork. I wanted to talk with him about Intro to calculus. He’s my study partner, after all.”  
“Right, well, eh, what about your friend, here?”  
“David is in our class with us.” Token quickly followed up.  
“Hm.” She said squinting a bit at him.  
“He’s one of the best students I know, and a close friend of mine, both me and Butters have known him since-”The three of their’s conversation was interrupted by a random white guy dressed entirely in denim coming out from behind Mrs. Stotch.  
“Thanks again for letting me inta yer home, lady,” Said the random man, who walked out of the house without acknowledging the two other people on her doorstep. The both of them stared in a confused silence as the man walked down the Stotch driveway with what appeared to be a bunch of individuals dollar bills stuffed into his back pockets, before reaching the sidewalk and turning around their neighbors fence. They turned back to her.  
“Who was that?” Token asked in utter confusion.  
“Oh, some nice man who said he needed to make a phone call.”  
Token looked down for a moment and then back to her, “Do you have a land line?”  
“Well… No…” She didn’t have any follow up for him beyond that. “Anyway, what were you saying? Something about this boy right here?”  
“Uh. Is Butters here or not? I just needed to ask him about a question on... Long division form.”  
“Well, Butters isn’t here right now, anyway. He’s at his special psychiatrist.”  
“Special psychiatrist?”  
“Yes, um, he sees him every once in awhile, usually every two weeks.”  
“... Who is this psychiatrist?”  
“Oh, it’s Father Maxi down at the church.”  
Token was lost his sight for a second. “That’s, um… That’s not, he’s not a psychiatrist.”  
“Well, we just call him that, because it’s like seeing a psychiatrist's, these special sessions.”  
“Um.” Token had trouble finishing this conversation, “Thank you for your help, Mrs. Stotch.”  
“Right.” And with that, the woman slowly began creeking the door closed, not taking her eyes off either of them, looking through the thin crack until she slammed it shut.  
Token jumped down the stairs, “We gotta fucking go,” he insisted., running back to the road.  
“But, wait,” David said, still in shock, “Did you also see a guy come walking out of that house right there with individual bills comically packed into his pockets? Because I think I just had a hallucination.”  
Token flew down the street, De La Soul still pounding:  
“You can save your soul if we are no more, suffer the consequences, we are the way the lord intended.”  
“Father Maxi, I know that guy, isn’t he a piece of shit!?” David asked in a deep mistacy.  
“Butte-Marjorine has been put through the ringer when it comes to her parents. But to have private sessions with Maxi is going too far. They’re just constantly trying to drive her to kill herself with shit like this, it feels like!” Token started shouting. “”Maxi most certainly is a piece of shit, he’s super prejudice against the physically and mentally handicapped, and way against the LGBT community, the friggin sociopath!”  
Token turned onto to the curb in front of the town’s church, running up to the doors of the congregation and slamming them wide open, all with a face of pure shock and disbelief. He looked about and made his way to the back of the church, where the absolute loon of a pastor Father Maxi resided in his office most of the time. He bursted into the room to see Maxi sitting at his desk, Mr. Stotch sitting on the other side, and both of them facing Marjorine, sitting in the corner. Upon first entering, Token could see both Maxi and Stephen right in front of him, but given the additional second to go looking for Marjorine in the corner added to an anger in Token with each second.  
The two of them stared at one another for a minute. As the prolonged eye contact continued, the emotion of the situation hit her. It was a single moment in which everything hit her at once, and she lowered her head in shame and depression. Token walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug. “I’m need Butters. It’s matter of his grades. If we don’t study for this test in math tomorrow, he might fail, even with a near perfect grade.”  
“Butters!” Mr. Stotch shot out of his chair, fists curled. “what is this boy talking about!?”  
“It’s, uh…” Marjorine tried to suck up what she could. “It’s true. It’s the hardest test I’ll ever take, I think. I gotta prepare.”  
“Then you better go and prepare! We’ll reschedule the rest of this meeting.” Mr. Stotch sat back down.  
Token helped Marjorine up out of her seat in the corner and over to the door, but as they were walking out of the room, Father Maxi spoke up.  
“Wait, Mr. Stotch, whatever this is, I assure you, the Lord should always be a priority.” The Catholic Priest walked out of his private office into the rows of pews after Token and Marjorine. “These meetings are essential for butters. He needs guidance, and must stay here until our session is done,! You know you need these sessions if you truly want to get into Heaven, do you not, my son!?”  
“No, he doesn’t.” Father maxi looked beyond the two of them to see David standing at the front door.  
“I’m sorry, who are you, young, man!?” The Father shouted down the hall.  
“Doesn’t matter, but I know who you are! When I first moved here, my parents and I came to a few of your Sunday communions, before they decided they didn’t want to be abiding by your rules here.” David let his friends get by him to the door, grabbing Token by the arm to whisper to him, “Just leave, I doubt either of these two will know who I am, just dissociate yourself from me,” and he walked up to Maxi. “You always had your own personal bias too everything. You weren’t teaching the ways of the lord, you were teaching your prejudices, so we worshipped at home. Nobody needs your guidance.”  
“You are a wicked boy, you are! You would dare insut me, a man of god!”  
David grabbed the necklace he wore around his neck at all times, pulling it out from beneath his shirt, revealing a cross while taking a few steps back, “I’m as much a man of god as you. I say grace before every meal, I’ve gone through my bible studies, and I’ve been confirmed by a church that isn’t run by a crazy person!”  
“Young man, I demand you tell me your name, or so help me god!” Maxi demanded, waving a righteous finger about.  
“I’ve said my proper prayers!” David shouted at him, backing up further, finally turning around and walking out of the church, taking the doors and closing them gently, putting his back against the door and taking a second to make the four points on his forehead, stomach and shoulders, walking away a little worried about shouting at a priest, even one that’s notorious being self serving, racist and lustful.  
Token drove down the road, going maybe fifteen miles an hour. Marjorine sat next him, weeping softly. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry you had to see that,” She was apologizing over and over. Token took a deep and pulled the car over once more.  
Token looked over at Marjorine, putting a hand on their back. “Marj.” Marjorine continued their sobbing until they took a moment to hear what Token had said and raised their head and face them. “You’ve done nothing wrong. That back there is not your fault. I’m angry knowing you’ve been put into a heavy situation like that, with both your father and your religious figure weighing down on you, especially knowing both of those people. I know you. You’ve been through a lot.”  
“Token,” Marj tried to start.  
“But you always get back up afterwards.”  
“Token, I love you, but I love you as just a friend.”  
“No, I know. I can accept that. I have accepted that. I don’t want you to have to… To worry about something here that’s not why I’m here, Marjorine. I want to be your friend. Because you’re so cool of a person. You gotta know that. Every time I see you, I’m amazed that after knowing you for so long, you’ve been able to be you, despite everyone trying to stop that.”  
Marjorine wiped their eyes clean. “Thank you. That’s nice of you to say. I just… I can’t handle this. I’m so tired. I want to just take a nap.” She put her head to the car’s dash. “You’re a wonderful person Token. And you’re a swell enough catch. It’s just that… Well, after being with you for so long… I felt there was an expectation. I don’t think I can handle dating anymore. After Kenny I had an expectation of what a relationship should be, and it wasn’t something I wanted. It was something just about physical. And I got lucky to be with you, because you’re a nice enough guy, but… I can’t handle a physical relationship. And being with you, insecurities I have after being with Kenny for so long at such a young age.” Marjorine pressed their forehead back to the dash, pressing their fists into legs. “Look. Kenny fucked me up in a lot of ways. I can say that with certainty. I can’t be with you without worrying about what you want to do. I can’t let you have me, and trust you’ll do right by me. Are you gonna betray me? Are you just gonna lie to me, like he did? I’m not ready for a relationship. I’ve been trying to read into this for a while. I don’t want to be just a gullible little kid ever again.”  
Token sat there, absorbing what she was saying. “You need your distance?”  
“Token, we can keep being friends. And I know you meant well when you burst in like that. I hate those sessions with Father and Stephen. I… I can’t stand it. But seeing you there, too. That’s what really set me off. I’ve… Been learning to handle everything with Stephen. And same with Linda. I appreciate the support you give me, but you have to understand. I broke up with you, because it was what was best for me.”  
There was a knock at the window. The both of them turned to see David had finally caught up with them. Marjie lowered the window. “Hey," He greeted them. "Um, sorry if I’m interrupting you guys. Are you okay, Marjorine?”  
“Yeah. I think I’m gonna be fine. Thanks for asking, David. Would you want to take my seat? I think I’d like to get in back.”  
“Yeah, sure.” David opened the door for her. Marj stepped out, looked thanked her kind friend for holding the door, and opened the rear door, climbing in back. David closed the passenger’s seat door after him. Token glanced in the rear view mirror at Marj once more, then out the front of the car as Marj glanced up at him once more then out the front.  
“Token?” She asked, “Would you mind putting on that playlist you made for me?”  
Token looked back one more time, before realizing he should keep looking forward. He turned on his phone and looked through his Spotify until he pound a playlist called “Butters.” He played the first song on it, Lorde, Ribs, and handed the phone to David, “Could you rename the playlist properly?”  
“Yeah,” and David took the phone out of his hand as he pulled out back onto the street.


	14. You'll Never Make Me Cry

One day about a week ago, Kenny had been attacked at school by Stan in the middle of the day. He spent the afternoon in the school nurse’s office, resting his busted body. With the end of school, Kenny was preparing for a long and arduous drive home when Kyle stopped him and insisted he go home with him so he could make this better. Kenny couldn’t seem to refuse, so he took the bus back to Kyle’s with him, and so, he lied on the couch of the Broflovski family household next to Ike, who took to his own business, while Kyle worked away at making him something to eat.  
Ike was sitting next to Kenny with a bag of chips between them and a PS4 controller in his lap, running a stream on Twitch on the PS4. Kenny was confused as to what was happening, and Ike was confused by Kenny. “Um. So,, who is this talking?” Kenny asked, pointing to the TV screen.  
“That’s Rising Superstar Liam.” Ike explained.  
Kenny tilted his head at the title, “Who?”  
“He used to be on Super Best Friends, and now he does streams.”  
“Super Best Friends, like the religious union?”  
“No, they’re a youtube channel.”  
“Oh. what kind of videos do they do?”  
“Stuff like this.” Ike gestured at the gameplay on screen.  
“What is this?” Kenny asked, very sincerely and with a deeply miffed expression.  
“This is Resident Evil 7.”  
“What is that, that’s, uhh, a video game?”  
Ike gave him a look of confusion, and a bit discombobulated, “Y-yeah?”  
“Sorry, I just, I don’t know anything about video games. I haven’t played one since, like, probably middle school at either Cartman’s or Kyle’s house. Well. Well, I’m at Kyle’s house, so here.”  
“Hm. I’m, I’m sorry?” Ike apologized, unsure how to respond.  
“Why sorry? It’s just that I don’t play games.”  
“Yeah, I just, I don’t know how to respond to that is the problem.” Kenny gave a nod of confirmation. The two of them stared at each other for a second before Ike turned to the kitchen.  
“What do you think he’s doing in there?” Kenny asked him.  
“I don’t know, he’s been in there for a while.” Ike turned back to his stream.  
“Do you think he’s trying to cook?”  
“Oh god, I hope not.” Kenny raised an eyebrow. “Kyle is a terrible cook. I love my brother very dearly, and he excels at many things, but cooking is a weak point of his. He can’t even make a kraft dinner without fucking up and burning it.”  
“A what?”  
Ike turned back to him, “A kraft dinner? You’ve gotta have had one of those before. Oh, right, sorry, I mean macaroni. I guess that’s a Canadianism.”  
Kenny lowered his head at him, “Ike, I’ve known you since you were two, I think, and I know you go up every once in a while to visit your biological parents, but you have not spent nearly enough time in Canada to have developed any Canadianisms.”  
Kyle was busy in the kitchen trying to cook up something for his boyfriend, after his long day of getting attacked. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, he just thought it would be a nice gesture. He thought he could probably make something simple like a breakfast plate. He was currently trying to make an omelet, but he’d somehow bungled some part of the process, because the top didn’t seem like it had cooked yet, but when he tried to peel up the bottom from the skillet, it was burned crispy, so he had to start over. Macaroni was simple enough. Kyle had tried putting in the amount of water recommended on the side of the box, but it wouldn’t fit in a saucepan.  
“So, who am I playing, again, right now,” Kenny asked, holding a PS4 controller and looking at a lady dressed in black in the center of the screen. He started moving the character around and spinning the camera around her.  
“This is 2B. She’s an android.  
“She’s got a cute butt,” Kenny commented, now running around and staring at her butt as she ran.  
“Yeah, yeah, she does,” Ike agreed nervously scratching the back of his head.  
“So uhh, what do you do in this game?” Kenny asked, fairly confused.  
“Well, you fight robots, to put it simply. It’s got a really complex story, so it’d be pretty hard to get into detail but-”  
“Waaaiiiit.” Kenny cut him off, moving his character over to a tiny little robot that came up to his character’s chest in height, with a cylindrical body, a ball for a head, tiny, stick like arms and legs like a wind up toy that needs the big supports because it can fall over so easily. “This is a robot, right?”  
“Uh, yeah?”  
“This thing is adorable! Look at it. It’s, like, half my height! It looks like a kid’s toy! It looks like a kid’s toy from McDonald's, at that.” The enemy began it’s attack spinning it’s stiff arms, which knocked 2B back few steps. “That’s it’s attack!? This is the main enemy of the game!?”  
“I mean, there are a lot of other enemies, and they get way harder to defeat than this guy, it just happens that these are the first enemies you encounter in the game. They’re supposed to be a jumping off point.”  
“Dude, this thing is adorable. I feel. Very, Conflicted about killing this guy Don’t you have any fighting games? I used to kick Cartman’s ass at Mortal Kombat on the PS2 back in the day until he’d kick me out of his house. Which was maybe after I beat him three times in a row. Heh, usually, I’d give up after kicking his ass to a certain point and just start jumping around pretending to fight until he killed me so I could keep playing. Playing here at Kyle’s was better.”  
“Yeah, I remember those days. We still have a PS2, here.” Ike watched Kenny continue to not fight back against the adorable little robot. “Hey, aren’t you gonna fight back?”  
“I don’t wanna. I’m a conscientious objector.”  
“Kenny, you’re going to die against this single robot,” Ike pointed out as Kenny’s health continued to dip.  
“So is the way of life. If I must die for the world to change, so be it.”  
And so, Kenny died, leading to a death screen that asked him to change his death message. “Kenny, you bastard.”  
Kyle tried cooking the mac and cheese as long as the time had instructed on the side of the box, but the second the water came to a boil, all the water came spilling out of the pan.  
Ike came down the stairs with a big cardboard box. “This is bunch of Kyle’s old paraphernalia and what not. He’s got all kinds of things in here, including the PS2, if I’m right, along with all the games for it.” Ike explained, as he put the box down on the living room’s table.  
“Groovy,” Kenny exclaimed. “Better be Marvel Vs Capcom in there, that game was the shit. Kyle was a badass with that shit, but I can hold my own.” Kenny looked down into the box, and saw a bunch of objects of old. The box had more than just PS2 games and the system, but there was Kyle’s extensive collection of cassettes and a bunch of old VHS tapes. “Oh, shit!” Kenny plunged his hands into the box of mystery and fished out Naked Gun, hidden below an amalgam of games and plastic toys that he’d managed to spy underneath the rubbage. “This movie’s awesome! I remember watching this thing, it was a riot. We’d bust this out once a month when Kyle got this!” Kenny looked back down into the box. Where he had ripped out the copy of Naked Gun was a hole the didn’t immediately collapse on itself. Looking down into the box, Kenny saw an item that he tilted his head at. Putting the VHS tape down, he reached back in the box and pulled out a small, boxed cassette tape. Holding it up to the light, Kenny saw him, Kyle, Stan and Cartman, all looking right back at him from the bottom half of the cover, above them, a crowd of people packed up to a stage, where a familiar looking man was on stage singing with some band. Above him was the title South Park: Chef Aid album. “What the fuck? Ike do you know what this is?”  
Ke looked at the cover of the cassette with very serious confusion, before, in front of Kenny eyes, for a moment, he very visibly lost focus of what was in front of him, his yes seeming to turn away from it and one another to look beyond what Kenny presented to him, “I don’t know what your talking about?” He told him.  
Kenny turned the cassette back to get another look and pondered what this was. “Ch...Chef,” He told himself. He lowered the cassette tape and looked to the wall, “Chef. I remember Chef.”   
Just as Kenny was pondering the discovery, and as Ike took to setting up the PS2, Kyle walked in.  
“I’ve got some food ready.” He announced. Both Kenny and Ike stopped their actions and turned in surprise to him.  
“Oh.” Kenny said, following it up after a brief pause with “Good.” Kenny looked back down at the cassette, and put it in his pocket.  
All three of them sat down at the table, where Kyle had laid out the food he’d made for them. The macaroni was burnt. Ike and Kenny looked down at the food in front of them, and then Ike glanced up at Kenny. He had a sense that maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned the food thing. He cleared his throat, “Looks great!” And began eating it, to offset Kenny’s hesitation. It was weirdly gross, being half burned. Ike hadn’t gotten a look at the sink or the stove, he knew something bad was back there.  
Kenny also took to eating the meal. The food was no worse than anything he’d get from his mother’s home cooking. It was nothing compared to his, but he could anything. “It’s delicious!” Kenny told him enthusiastically.  
“Oh, good, I’m glad you like it.” Kyle looked down at his plate and started eating it. Of the three of them, Ike was very clearly having the hardest time, followed by Kyle, who separated out his bites pretty well, and tried not lingering on chewing. Kenny’s masterful ability to eat it had Ike in shock, a bit. He’d never known someone to enjoy Kyle’s cooking, and here he was, seemingly the first. Ike ate maybe a fourth of it, before putting his fork down and saying, “I’m not really that hungry, mind if I go watch upstairs? I’m gonna go finish that stream.”  
Kyle turned to his brother, “Yeah. No reason you should have to ask my opinion on that, go if you want.”  
“Thanks.” And with that Ike got up and headed for the doorway.  
“Want that I save your food for later?” Kyle asked him on his way out the door.  
Ike stopped in the doorway, and without looking back, answered, “Yeah, sure,” and ran away.  
Kyle turned back to the table to see Kenny was upturning his bowl to his face, scarfing his meal down. “Mm! Always happy to get a home cooked meal!”  
“Jeese, this is actually pretty surprising. Stan can never finish my food.” Kyle said looking down at the food in front of him with a smirk. He started thinking about Stan, and everything. He twitched his lip and his smile went away. “So, um… I thought it might be… Prudent to talk about the whole… Um.” Kyle squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry what happened to you! This is all my fault!” Kyle took hold of his chair with both of his hands, gripping it tightly. Kenny looked up from meal to see Kyle beating himself up over the ordeal.  
Kenny put his bowl down and wiped his face clean on the back of his hand. He put his hands down on the table and shut his. “Kyle you’ve done nothing wrong.”  
“Kenny, there’s so much I’ve fucked up. You sometimes feel like the last thing I have. But I’m still so shitty to you. I can’t lie. Not to myself or to you. This kind of thing was always going to happen. As long as I’m with someone, there’s only going to be problems.”  
Kenny opened his eyes, “Kyle, that’s pretty unfair to yourself. Every relationship I’ve been in has had its problems, and I’ve definitely hurt people, but what’s different this time is how much I care about the person I’m with and how much I don’t want to see them hurt.”  
Kyle took in a deep breath, and moved one hand off of the chair to rub against his forehead. “Oh, god damn it, I’m sorry. I’ve been way too emotional. I usually can control myself better than this.”  
“If you’ve got to work through some stuff, that’s fine. We all have stuff we’re going through, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.” Kenny got out of his chair and pulled it over to Kyle, sitting down next to him.  
“I don’t want you getting hurt, because of me. If being in a relationship with me means this kind of shit is going to be happening to you, then I can’t stand to see you being put through it all.” Kyle propped his elbows on the table and rested his forehead on his palms, shaking his head back and forth.  
Kenny took in a deep inhale, and then an exhale. “Kyle, I want what’s best for yu. I don’t want you to have to worry.”  
“I want you. You need to understand that. I want to be with you. The problem is that this is such a horrible time. There’s too many problems.” Kyle sat back in his chair letting out a tired sigh.  
Kenny put his arm around Kyle. “Then you go and take care of what you need to. Kyle, if we need to wait longer, then that’s fine. I know what there is waiting for you. You have my full support, whenever you need it. I know that I’m not the most important thing. I’m happy just knowing you care. It’s something I’ve wanted for the longest time. So don’t worry about me. As long as you’re still in my life… Even if we can’t be together. I just… I don’t want to see you back where you were a few weeks ago. I never wanna make you cry.”  
Kyle straightened out his back and turned to Kenny, wrapping his head in his arms and pulling him close. With his head on top of Kenny’s, Kyle told him, “Thank you. Thank you for giving me your time. Thank you for being able to wait. You’re a wonderful person.” He kissed him on the top of the head. Kyle held onto him for another moment before letting him go. Pulling back, Kenny looked up at Kyle he moved forward less than an inch, wanting one final kiss, but not being sure whether it was appropriate. He looked down from Kyle, but Kyle put his hand on his chin and made him look back and brought him in for their last kiss goodbye. Kenny indulged himself in this moment. Kyle’s kissing him back was something that hadn’t happened often in their relationship. Often, Kenny would be the one going in for the kiss. Sometimes, Kenny would reflect wondering whether Kyle really was happy in their relationship, but in retrospect, Kenny was able to look back on their short lived relationship and think of all the moments the two of them had had over the past month. The weight of the situation was starting to set in.  
After their prolonged kiss, the two of them walked out into the living room. There was a silence to it. Kenny looked at the box on the table. “I guess, um. Having Ike go fish that out of your attic for us to play with seems a bit pointless, now. Think there’s a cassette layer in there? I’d like something to listen to on my… Long walk home.”  
Kyle went over and checked the box. “You're in luck. Any preference on listening? My dad’s cassettes are in here, too, soooo-”  
“Neil Young’d be good, right now.” He said, with a sniff and a wipe of the nose.  
“In luck, again. There’s a tape of… Harvest. Is that good?”  
“OH yeah, that’ll do.”  
Kyle handed him the cassette player and the tape, and looking to one another about a foot apart, Kyle walked closer and gave Kenny a last hug. Kenny then walked to the door, said a goodbye, and closed the door behind him. Kenny looked down at the cassette player in his hand and Harvest. He popped open the case and saw the tape was halfway reeled through, and removing the tape and putting the case in his pocket, popped it in and immediately started listening to the best album he could be at that moment. Kenny held his hands in the pockets of his pants as he made his way down the driveway of the Broflovski’s, and finally past their fence, where he began looking about in every direction. He kept walking until it hit, and in a moment, Kenny dropped to his knees, and lifted his his to his face and slowly working them down across its surface, letting out a low moan of depression. He opened his eyes and looked up to the sky, mouth agape. He looked down and put his hands to the ground, giving a moment of reflection before picking himself up.


End file.
